THE AMERICAN CENTER FOR PHYSICS
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, Maryland 20740
DIRECTIONS
To reach ACP from the Capital Beltway: Take Exit #23-MD 201
southbound (Kenilworth Ave.); follow MD 201 for about 3 miles;
turn right onto River Road at light; follow signs on River Road to
ACP and Physics Ellipse; will see building on left.
To reach ACP from D.C.: Follow Rhode Island Avenue northbound; turn right onto MD 410 (East-West Highway); turn left
onto MD 201 (Kenilworth Ave.); turn left onto River Road at 2nd
light; follow signs on River Road to ACP and Physics Ellipse; will
see building on left.
Metro: College Park - U. of Md stop on the Green Line.
Surface Tension
Surface Tension
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICS TEACHERS 2015
HIGH SCHOOL CONTEST WINNING PHOTOGRAPHERS
ANDY NEEDLE
TOM OSGOOD
Sarah Tanguy, Guest Curator
19 April - 14 October 2016
Reception 19 April 2016
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Gallery Talk 6:15 pm
The American Center for Physics
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740
For viewing information,
call Eva Adams at 301.209.3125
ABOVE TOP: Kelly Anne Mayberry, Pulp Fiction, 2015, photographic print on canvas, 20 x 30”; courtesy of American
Association of Physics Teachers
ABOVE: Tom Osgood, Black Hole, 2014; painted forged steel, 5 ½ x 7 x 5”; courtesy of artist
COVER: Andy Needle, Varicolored Stone, 2013, oil on canvas, 22 x 24"; courtesy of artist
“Science doesn't purvey absolute truth. Science is a mechanism.
It's a way of trying to improve your knowledge of nature. It's a
system for testing your thoughts against the universe and seeing
whether they match.” Isaac Asimov
S
worn, lace-like structure of coral. By contrast, Silver Yang uses two interpenetrating
floral shapes to reference the Taoist connectedness of opposite forces and suggest
an invisible unity. Here and elsewhere in his work, the swirling forms bring to mind
the folded dimensions of string theory as they engage in cosmic dance that defies
a sense of scale and changes relative to the viewer’s position.
urface Tension expands the phenomenon of elasticity associated with a liquid
surface to explore the interaction of natural forces and the transformations
that occur under different states and conditions. The exhibition brings together
paintings by Andy Needle, sculptures by Tom Osgood, and a selection of winning
photographs from the 2015 American Association of Physics Teachers High School
Photo Contest. Although distinct in style and approach, these bodies of work reveal
thematic affinities and share a keen sense of observation and experimentation along
with an interest in surface, tactility, and pattern.
T
F
or Andy Needle, the passage of time lies at the core of his highly nuanced depictions of rocks, which carefully balance attention to natural detail with an implied
abstraction. In his plein air practice, he made meticulous paintings of scenes directly
in front of him, whether from a car or a boat. But after a 20-year search for his own
voice, he zoomed in
on geological formations and sought
imaginative distillations in his painted
topographies. His
current style of
painterly realism
draws on the meteorological studies of
19th century artist
John Constable and
the obsessive patterning by Chuck
Close, among other
Andy Needle, Passage, 2015, oil on canvas, 44 x 42”; courtesy of artist
contemporary artists: “The forms, textures, and color of rock surfaces are subtle and beautiful by
themselves, but the pleasure they give the viewer is enhanced by the mystery of
how these objects came to be.”
Tom Osgood, Farfalla, 2016, painted forged steel, 5 x 8 x 4”; courtesy of artist
left corner. Planar shifts appear further flattened, shading is again turned on its head,
and depth becomes an ambiguous proposition, enhancing a sense of dislocation.
Though hints of landscape remain, up close, physical reality dissolves into a pulsating array of tactile strokes and staccato rhythms.
he group of American Association of Physics Teachers contest photographs
attests not only to the curiosity and dedication of participants but also their
vision. For many years this international competition has offered teachers and students an opportunity to learn about the physics behind natural and contrived situations by creating visual and written illustrations of various physical concepts. Like
Needle, Jessica and Rose Jaramillo and Kelly Anne Mayberry address the imprint of
time on the natural world in their respective Paw Pressure and Pulp Fiction. Jackson
Mayo Lynch’s Brooklyn Bridge and Kaylee Elizabeth Carr’s Coin Bridge explore the
balancing act of a bridge. And Léa Koob’s Shadow in the Clouds magically captures
the natural phenomenon of a rainbow around the shadow of an airplane in the
clouds, while Waves of Winter by Emily Grace Kurburski shows the effect of wind in
generating a snowdrift along a building, akin to Osgood’s curvilinear forms.
I
n Tom Osgood’s abstract sculptures, natural life informs the intricate patterning
of compound curves. Like Needle, he started off as a representational landscape
painter, and coastal scenes near his home in Maine continue to fuel his imagery.
Using steel as his primary material, he creates a complex interplay of convex and
concave planes whose airy suppleness belies the force in forging or rolling them.
Negative and positive shapes exchange identities, while graceful arabesques along
the ridges seem to extend beyond themselves into the viewer’s space. Often based
on two-dimensional doodles, the finished works elegantly combine the mechanical
and the organic: “I am involved with the physicality and emotionality of work, which,
for me, brings clarity to my musings.”
Emily Grace Kurburski, Waves of Winter, 2015, photographic print on canvas, 20 x 30”; courtesy of American
Association of Physics Teachers
T
he effects of water and wind erosion animate the weathered Varicolored Stone.
Here a giant boulder holds in check a dynamic composition of meandering
diagonals. With no horizon line to serve as guide, viewers are placed on edge and
challenged to locate themselves in their mind’s eye. Meanwhile, a subtle palette
of earth tones weaves in and out of crevices, with bits of mossy greens and burnt
oranges setting off muted greys and browns. In Passage, the use of diagonals is
more pronounced as two fissures disrupt the hilly folds before joining at the upper
V
arious applications of paint activate the surface, ranging from straight painting and powder coating to gun finish. Some of the layers are ground before
another layer is added, the whole displaying a sensuous quality reminiscent of
crypsis—especially the elements of camouflage and disruptive coloration found in
certain animals. Several sculptures, including Black Hole, riff on the iridescent speckling and asymmetrical wedge of a shell, while the more recent Farfalla conjures the
T
he works in Surface Tension reflect a spectrum of investigations into the fundamental forces guiding both visible and invisible reality. Their dynamic surfaces
dazzle the eye, and peak our sense of touch. Yet just underneath, accumulated
build-up bears the marks of trial and error, and ultimately of time. Between these
two realms, speculations abound while answers await further experimentation and
discovery.