Bill Gerhard

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Year Participated: 2019

How did showing in the exhibition impact your career as an artist?

“The exhibition provided a rare opportunity to present a large body of work in a formal context, outside of my workspace. I was also able to network with other participants in the show. It was a privilege to share my work and connect to a sympathetic audience, and to honor the life and work of Betsy Meyer.”

Artist Statement

I build patterned and textured surfaces which represent the world in flux. My interest is in revealing phenomena which are subject to change over time in which the works are being made. By surrendering control over the process, natural forces emerge, materialize, and are made visible in unpredictable ways.

The works shown are created by exposing slabs of web plaster to rain, sleet, snow, or hail. After the plaster hardens, I cast the textured surfaces in a variety of materials including glass, bronze, aluminum and more recently, paper. Afterwards, I may apply a patina on the metal surfaces or create mono-prints from the plaster forms in order to further explore the infinite variety of potential textures revealed through this process. Each of the forms become a material document of the transitory and fleeting moments in which the work was made.