My paintings have always been very sculptural and now these ceramics feel very painterly, further interconnecting the two mediums. Both strive to mimic light, shadow and textures in landscape.
Saskia Fleishman’s latest body of work includes both paintings and ceramic sculptures inspired by landscape photographs taken on recent trips to the Chesapeake Bay area.
The artist reimagines these photographs as geometric abstractions or colour studies reminiscent of Joseph Albers’ practice. These landscapes are inverted, horizons cut through, flipped and malleated in a way to demonstrate the impermanence of memory and space.
Overview
Landscapes have always been at the centre of Fleishman’s practice, as well as her family history.
Daughter to a landscape architect, she spent her days exploring the beautiful surroundings of their Maryland home. Her appreciation for nature was further strengthened by her grandmother who similarly enjoyed photographing and drawing the tidewater landscapes, while knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem was passed down through her grandfather, who was a wetland scientist. As such, this series serves as an homage to Fleishman’s familial heritage and childhood memories.
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Her working process is sophisticated in its manipulation of form and innovative approach to painting that involves the use of the digital.
Once the artist has secured a source image, she transfers the colours from the photograph onto photoshop to create a flat gradient. This gradient is subsequently printed onto a chiffon that is stretched and taped up to outline the composition. Fleishman airbrushes the surface to create a smooth transition from shade to shade. To add depth to the sun-kissed clouds, the artist applies a mixture of sand, found at the beaches where the photographs are often taken, and acrylic paint. This process is repeated multiple times until the result is a dynamic composition that is rich in texture and colour.
Saskia Fleishman
Wyoming (Night Eclipse)
2022
99 x 99 cm
Saskia Fleishman
Santa Monica Sun (Homage to the Square)
2022
78.7 x 78.7 cm
Saskia Fleishman
Tarn, France (Eye Eclipse)
2022
119 x 104 cm
Saskia Fleishman
Form 2 (August)
2022
25 x 20 x 20 cm
Saskia Fleishman
Form 1 (August)
2022
33 x 10 x 10 cm
Saskia Fleishman
Form 3 (August)
2022
20 x 15 x 15 cm
Saskia Fleishman
Form 4 (August)
2022
12.7 x 25 cm
Saskia Fleishman
Moonrise Vase
2021
Unlike her previous bodies of work, for this series Fleishman places ceramics in conversation with the paintings, acting as light vessels.
In their organic forms they mimic land and seascapes, reflecting similar colour gradations to the paintings. The intricate organisation of colour, space and texture in both the paintings and ceramics offers an interpretation of nostalgia for fleeting moments. Although these works are a projection of her own experiences, in their tenderness they uncover a universal memory, transporting the viewer back to the spaces in time that feel like home.
About the Artist
Saskia Fleishman (b. 1995) graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 2017 with a BFA in painting.
She has been an artist in residence at The Jentel Foundation, Vermont Studio Centre, Wassaic Project, PADA Studios, ChaNorth and Trestle Studios, and a curator in residence at Otis College of Art and Design. Fleishman’s work has been exhibited in a solo exhibition at Cheryl Hazan Gallery in New York (2022) and Silo 6776 in New Hope, PA (2021), and in group exhibitions that include In The Round, Unit London, London (2022), Fertile Plain, Dinner Gallery, New York (2022) and DUOS, Peripheral Space, Los Angeles CA (2022). Fleishman is based in Philadelphia, PA.
Chosen Charity
Chosen Charity
Environmental Concern Inc.
Environmental Concern Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is dedicated to working with all aspects of wetlands. Since EC’s founding in 1972, the restoration division has restored over 50 miles of shoreline in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed using the bioengineering protocol developed by the founder, Dr Ed Garbisch.