THANK You
FOR A
SUCCESSFUL
YEAR!

WE WISH ALL
OF OUR
CUSTOMERS
& FRIENDS
HAPPY.
HOLIDAYS!

.

Limited Time!

A Sense Of Herself

An artistic retreat enriched the work of artist Lola Sonnenschein,
whos showing her work in a one-woman show in Rochester.

City, she worked for a buying firm
and then moved on to an ad agency in
Chicago, where her husband, Jerry,
found employment as an actuary.
fellowship program that
When the Sonnenscheins moved to
allowed Lola Sonnenschein
Michigan in 1980, she started to paint
extended time alone to
seriously and noticed that her images
work on drawings, jewelry
were becoming sculptural. She found a
and sculpture has resulted in pieces for
studio outside her home and shifted
a solo exhibit at the Cary Gallery in
her focus to three-dimensional forms.
Rochester.
Group exhibitions soon came her way.
"Listening," with almost 50 separate
Sonnenschein has been represented
items, will be on display through Jan.
in many shows at a diversity of art
3. Just as line and color permeate her
centers, including the Detroit Artists
drawings, lines of wire and colorful
Market, Midland Center for the Arts,
beads become the essence of her three-
Ariana Gallery in Royal Oak, Paint
dimensional pieces.
Creek Center for the
"My work has to do
Arts
in Rochester and
with nature, listening
the
Windover
Center
to my surroundings
for the Arts in Fon
and to myself,"
DuLac, Wis.
Sonnenschein explains
"I love to work with
about the derivation of
my hands," says
the exhibit title. "When
Sonnenschein, now
I had fellowships this
based in a Pontiac stu-
year and the year before
dio. "I like to hold the
at the Hambridge
beads in my hands as I
Center fpr Creative
decide how and where
Arts & Sciences in
to place them."
northern Georgia, my
Sonnenschein, who
mind was able to quiet
made
time for her art
down, and I could con-
while
raising
two sons
centrate on the work in
and participating in
front of me."
activities at Temple
One of her sculptural
Kol Ami, had to inter-
pieces, Roots, starts with
rupt her projects in
leaf forms at the base
the late 1990s. She
and moves up to figure
became
very ill, and it
forms at the top. Her
took
months
to deter-
intent was to show the
mine that the process
interconnection in the
she was using to shape
diversity of nature.
Lola Sonnenschein: "Vessel with Lotus." The artist's three-dimensional
copper was having
Another piece,
works incorporate wire and multicolored beads.
harmful effects.
Homage to Hambridge,
"The longest period
also includes leaf
that
I've
ever
taken
as a break from
was
taken
with
the
imaginative
"I
forms but captures their differences.
making
my
art
was
when I was ill,"
use
of
material
and
the
way
she
puts
With this work, she aimed to
she recalls. "Even when I was unable
elements together," he says. "She
demonstrate how differences develop
to work physically, I still created and
uses color in a very novel way, and
amonc, like items.
explored new ideas in my head.
we have her work on shelves and
"The house that was provided for
"I never gave up on the idea of
along the walls."
me through this program was nestled
working again, and I tried many
Sonnenschein's decision to be an
in the foothills of the Blue Ridge
r
things before I found a safe
artist came when she was 12 and won
Mountains," explains the 60ish
The
beads
and
wire
I
now
use are nat-
an
international
poster
contest.
Raised
Sonnenschein, of West Bloomfield. "I
ural
materials."
in
New
Jersey
and
unable
to
enter
col-
arranged my worktables in front of
During her five years of recovery,
lege right after high school, she began
windows that faced the mountains,
Sonnenschein took up yoga and
enrolling in sculpture classes.
and the sunlight dancing across my
found that very helpful. The physi-
After studying fashion illustration at
tables brought out the luminosity and
cal and emotional benefits motivated
the Art Students League and the
-rich colors of the beads, allowing me
her
to become a yoga teacher, and
School
of
Visual
Arts
in
New
York
to explore my materials with new eyes.

SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News

A

NOW
OPEN
suNDAy

8ain_2pm

248
626-9110

6879 Orchard Lake Rd.
in die Boardivalk Plaza-

Tht

248.855.9463

32418 Northwestern H\VY
Farmington Hills. MI 48334

(Between Middlebelt & 14 Mile Rd.)

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8-8
Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-4
www.vineyarddeli.com

GET YOUR

ADVERTISING

INTO

12/12

2003

86

GEAR

call us to advertise

248.354.6060

"I studied the changing shape and
colors of the landscape while listening
to the trees move in the wind and
then my own inner thoughts.
Focusing on my surroundings height-
ened my awareness and engaged all of
my senses. The new freedom that I
found working in this environment
led me to a richer understanding
about nature and myself and inspired
Rifler, deeper and richer work."
Alan Cary, director of the gallery
showing her recent projects, became
familiar with the artist through an
exhibit at the Birmingham
Bloomfield Art Center.