Local News
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Fostoria artist shapes theoryStaff Writer
While she may find influence in things she sees in her everyday life, Toni Lucadello draws her true inspiration for sculpting from the unknown.
Lucadello, of Fostoria, harnesses the medium of steel and shapes the hard metal into her own personal reflections of scientific concepts and theories to create grandiose sculptures that are sometimes large enough to fill a room.
“Theoretical physics is a mystical realm that delves into the unknown, and I like that because it can be very challenging,” she said. “I often base my sculptures on ideas like the string theory.”
The theory combines quantum mechanics and general relativity into a quantum theory of gravity.
The centerpiece of her upcoming Nov. 21 exhibition at the Secor Building Gallery in Toledo, “Energy Exchange,” she said demonstrates just that.
Her exhibit of new and older works will serve as part of the Toledo Area Sculptors Guild collective exhibit and will see an opening reception 7-10 p.m. Nov. 21 at the 425 Jefferson St. gallery.
The exhibit is far from her first, though, as she has shown her works far and wide from venues such as the Toledo Museum of Art to the San Diego Art Institute in San Diego, Calif. Her sculptures are on display at the University of Toledo campus, in Ottawa Hills, and at the Schedel Gardens in Elmore.
As the sculptures get bigger and bigger, moving the pieces becomes an issue. Often times Lucadello has to depend on friends with larger vehicles or will rent a U-Haul truck to get the art to it’s intended destination.
“Hauling these pieces can be difficult and expensive,” she said.
Her earlier works, created while studying for her master’s degree in art at the University of Toledo, included the use of ceramics and portrayed realistic forms. It was a series of metalworking and artistic welding classes she took at Owens Community College and the Toledo Museum of Art that pushed her vision to abstract forms and more malleable mediums.
Lucadello describes her aesthetic as “semi-abstract,” as many of her commissioned pieces are reminiscent of other life forms and elements such as plants, fire and the ocean.
Recent smaller pieces she has been working on are a plant-like sculpture for a customer’s garden and a sculpture with “ocean-like qualities.”
The exhibition will also feature works from fellow Fostorian Andy Sacksteder who has volunteered to exhibit his sculptures for the first time.
Sacksteder, who works as a landscaper during the warmer months of the year, uses the clay medium to create realistic busts and figurines. He is working on a full-sized sculpture of former Ohio State University football coach Woody Hayes.
Lucadello had some advice for budding artists like Sacksteder.
“I was talking to another artist and they said ’You never get proficient in any medium,’ which is true. Each medium has its own unique features, so it’s best to work on what you do best and get better at it,” she said.
The Secor Building Gallery, 425 Jefferson St., downtown Toledo, is open for viewing 6-9 p.m. Friday and 3-9 p.m. Saturday. The Toledo Area Sculptors Guild exhibit, including Lucadello’s and Sacksteder’s sculptural works, will be on display through Jan. 2.
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Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
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