OPENING: Norman Mooney’s unique take on stars

Norman Mooney, Amber Star, 2012. Glass and aluminum. H 32, W 32, D 18 1/2 in. photo courtesy: heller gallery.

“Stars,” an exhibition that opened at Heller Gallery earlier this month, will have its official opening reception on Thursday, July 26th. The artist, Norman Mooney, will be present to welcome fans and patrons. It was only recently that Mooney started exhibiting works in full color, having committed himself for the bulk of his career to grayscale and transparent explorations in sculpture. His work is unique in that he not only utilizes varying materials from resin, lead, cast glass and metal, but truly uses the art to accentuate the medium. It is as much about the execution of design as it is a tribute to the materials at play, and through careful engineering, his glass objects are not only illuminated by light, they transform it through refraction and shadow to expand and intensify their visual allure and engage the eye on various planes and chromatic ranges.

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Mooney’s “Stars” seem to be the visual counterpart to musical compositions such as those by Phillip Glass. After choosing a central theme, he then builds layer upon layer, keeping the colors, materials, and concrete elements the same. He ends up with an explosion of light and shape that is brilliantly intricate. Viewing the pieces in all their three-dimensional glory is highly recommended as most of these wall mounted pieces stand nearly 3-feet-tall, mounted more than a foot from the wall. Depending on the time of day or the position of the viewer, the perfectly cast spokes draw the light onto the walls and floors in various degrees of intensity. While the sculptures are classical in the sense that they are not kinetic, the layers and materials add an element of breath. Of Mooney’s work, artist Corbin Walker wrote on artdaily.org, “Norman introduces a kinetic interaction with the viewer, which is in constant flux, evolving, repeating, appearing and disappearing in the densely assembled works.”

—Katharine Morales