Leslie Pontz: Woven By Nature

Terminal A West

Philadelphia artist Leslie Pontz creates abstract sculptural forms from crocheted wire, fabric, iron, and industrial chain. However, it is the crocheted wire that is usually the primary focus of Pontz's sculpture -- its delicate and tactile nature, color, and labor-intensive qualities garner attention. Using thin wire, the crocheted metal woven loop after loop is transformed from a singular thread into ethereal, organic forms. The shapes are often reminiscent of cocoons or protective sacks as the wire typically shelters an inner core. They appear to have been woven by nature, many seemingly grown around man-made materials such as iron chains, hooks, and coils. The juxtaposition of organic forms and manufactured materials is prevalent throughout Pontz's work. She is interested in the visual tension as well as the unexpected balance between these contrasting elements. She has eloquently compared her work to the simple, yet complex desert landscape, "its grayed colors, hard shapes, soft sand, and prickly textures." It is that same sense of co-existence between unlikely objects and textures that Pontz finds inspirational.