Don Reitz @ Scarfone-Hartley Gallery at University of Tampa

The name Don Reitz is synonymous with salt glazing. [Link]  He is one of the finest salt-and-wood glazers alive today and considered one of the most influential, and a great teacher who has mentored many major major talents. Reitz' life has been a multihued one, and he tells it best here: [Link]. The show at UT is one of the closest to the Convention Center where NCECA is being held.

The exhibition at Scarfone Hartley Gallery at UT

  
     " Through art, I am able to make the intangible tangible, release my subconscious, and give physical reality to emotional conditions."      --- Don Reitz

 A bird's eye view of ""Table Top Spiral"                                           Here is a side view 


Reitz's forms are very spiritual. This sculpture is a kind of maze, the colors elegant, almost metallic. 

"New Sculpture #2"

This is a composite form made of pieces from many other pots. Reitz' work is strongly narrative, from an autobiographical angle, and this piece is no exception. Some of the pieces are cut, others are broken, and they're put together again in a new way. 

"New Sculpture #1"

 

 

 

                                  " In searching for a new aesthetic, I decided to break pots and reassemble them. In reality, I had to put myself back together."    --- Don Reitz

Platter #1

A large platter with two broken sticks or limbs crossed, and a chip that also appears made of wood.

 This is one of Reitz' "Standing Sculptures", reminiscent of Voulko's "Stacks". This one is about three feet tall. It has a decidedly architectural presence, and a sense of spontaneity, whimsy, barely balanced.

"Tryptych #2" reminds us of the chameleon-like power of ceramics to be able to at times look like painting, although this has a lof of light inscribing and serious textures.







This is an excellent one-man show, one of the best of the NCECA ones. Reitz' work is rich with meaning, spirit, and possibility.

--- Luis