Golden girl

Olds Goldie explores the older life

by Leon Nigrosh

CLAUDIA OLDS GOLDIE: SCULPTURE AND PRINTS At the Jewish Community Center Gallery, 633 Salisbury Street, through March 5.

Claudia Olds Goldie's sculptures do more than just grace their pedestals, they provide a glimpse into our golden years. Each of these modestly sized clay or bronze sculptures is infused with an uncanny sensibility that is at once timeless and timely. Olds Goldie presents images of older people who, though they are involved in simple, everyday activities, seem to represent a stage of life through which, with luck, we will all eventually pass.

Still a Contender is an excellent example of her remarkable capacity to create a mood, using only unglazed clay and her ability to manipulate this medium with great dexterity. We are presented with the figure of an older woman whose body has begun to succumb to gravity. She's well past her "prime" but seems oblivious to this fact as she strikes a sensuous pose and gazes over her body, clad only in a bathing suit. Her expression seems one of personal reverie, as if hauling up memories of what her shape used to be; and yet there appears the unspoken thought that there's still something in this old girl yet.

Olds Goldie claims that it is her interest in the "full-bodied simplicity of Pre-Columbian clay sculpture" which was "nurtured by a potter/sculptor mother" that has brought her this stage of her artistic development. But surely there must be something much more than this, something that comes from deep within the artist herself. How else can we explain the chord that is struck in our own minds when we view the tender gesture shared by two elderly grande dames in Ladies in Waiting? The absence of color draws our attention to the slightly exaggerated extremities, the slouching posture, and the individualized facial expressions that enhance the moment.

In each of the works on display, there is Everyman (or Everywoman) represented, in part because Olds Goldie's figures appear to be modeled after real people. Yet her works all spring from her imagination, relying solely on inner feelings and the ability to observe her surroundings. To better appreciate how the artist can relate these nuances in clay, compare the correctly attired Mrs. Tucker Takes Tea, complete with pinkie extended, to the bag lady protectively hunched over a burger and fries in Fast Food.

In another telling vignette, a cast bronze man and woman sit back to back in The Ring, both slouched with weight and age, she in a housedress and he in undershirt and worn pants. At first it might appear to be a scene of despair and dejection, but the woman can be seen appraising her simple wedding ring. Perhaps she is also appraising her life with him and all they've gone through together. From the body language, we get the impression that the key word is "together."

Grandmother's Chair is executed in fusion bronze, a technique Olds Goldie should further exploit. Basically, fusion bronze is done by spraying hot bronze over a surface. In this case, a film of molten metal was applied directly to the fired clay, allowing the hard-metal surface to take on the texture of the hand-modeled clay. By hand-tinting portions of this proper-lady's metallic figure, Olds Goldie is able to subtly highlight her clothing and hair to bring a believable persona to her subject.

The signature work in this exhibition, and the precursor to a new direction for Olds Goldie, is the clay and wood sculpture Imelda's Dilemma. Named for the infamous Phillippina and her well-known shoe fetish, this large work, executed in Olds Goldie's meticulous style, also contains a note of humor. We see a stately, grandmotherly figure faced with the problem of choosing the appropriate shoes for her extremely proper attire. To help her make this decision, the artist has made the inner portion of the pedestal into a revolving stand. Turn the wheel slowly to reveal three separate compartments, each with a pair of differently shod legs.

This is a rare opportunity to see a baker's dozen of Olds Goldie's sculptures in one place. Separately, they command our attention with their warm, individual expression. Together, they capture universal human frailties and present them with a strong dose of wide-eyed honesty -- something that is becoming increasingly rare in the world of contemporary sculpture.

The Jewish Community Center Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday from 6 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 756-7109.