Date: Sunday, October 20
Address: 510 N Compton Ave, St. Louis, MO 63103
Media: Sculpture, Drawing, Installation, Mixed Media, Printmaking, Time-based Media
Studio Features: ADA Accessible, Child-Friendly, Restroom, Refreshments, Work For Sale
joe chesla, Evasive Efforts, 2017, rust/graphite/encaustic on paper,courtesy of the artist 
joe chesla, sarah 1, 2019, plaster/ink/PVA, courtesy of the artist 
joe chesla, cloudcutter, 2017, wood/metal, courtesy of the artist 
joe chesla, breathing room, 2017, glass/porcelain/metal/wood, courtesy of the artist 
joe chesla, in the midst, 2015, plastic/porcelain/algae/wood, courtesy of the artist Strength, stillness, and intuitive responses to the elemental nature of materials are central to my artistic investigations. I am greatly influenced by the moments found within natural and man-made architectural structures, points that stand out as inherently or compositionally intriguing: surfaces, transitions, beginnings and endings. These fragments lead me to consider the relationship between the rules of nature and how our world builds on those rules. My influences: steel, concrete, wood, rust, algae, etc. often serve a very utilitarian purpose or exemplify a biological truth. It is my aim to humanize these materials by amplifying the duality of imposing strength while simultaneously creating a sense of comfort and longing/touch. When done well the organic growth and biomorphic building we see in nature are then translated into the built environment. It is in these small artistic moments: where a conceptual thought merges seamlessly with the material expression is where I find transcendence and poetry in humble materials.
