‘The Portal’ on North Main offers exhibit by of wood sculptures by William Perillat, along with paintings by his late father, Robert Perillat
By Art Van Kraft for Ashland.news
An art exhibit featuring elaborate wood sculptures by Ashland artist William Perillat is on display at The Portal art gallery in downtown Ashland. Perillat said this is the first time the sculptures have been shown and they represent 40 years of work.
“After 40 years I wanted to have a solo show of my work. I wanted to expose Ashland to my concept of what wood sculpture should be. My earliest piece here is from 1982. I never for a moment made these sculptures to sell,” Perillat, who has lived in Ashland since 1981, said.
The Prize of Perseus is one of Perillat’s favorite sculptures.
“For Instance, from the myth of Medusa, we have the sculpture The Prize of Perseus,” Perillat said. “Perseus was required to look at Medusa through a polished bronze breastplate so he would not meet her eyes and turn to stone. This reflection is represented by a bronze silhouette, and the turning to stone is represented by the sculpture’s base, fashioned from petrified wood.
“Since I was very young, I’ve understood the difference between art and the art world … it’s quite a gulf. The art world pertains to investment and name recognition. These sculptures are objects that just came out of my need to create,” Perillat said. “I believe it is possible to redefine how wood is used as a sculptural medium. Each sculpture comes with a story.”
The exhibit also includes eight paintings by the artist’s father Robert Perillat, a nationally recognized contemporary artist who died in 1991 after producing hundreds of works. Perillat said most of his father’s paintings on display at the gallery were made in Stinson Beach.
Perillat said he chose the selection of his father’s large paintings as a backdrop to cover the walls of exhibit. Also featured are two paintings by local contemporary artists Edward Masler and Sir Lexi.
The exhibit, which runs through Aug. 12, includes curios objects including lampshades made from transparent obsidian, oversized model trout flies, a Moon Bee, and a collection of handmade viola bridges for violins.
Art Van Kraft is an artist living in Ashland and a former broadcast journalist and news director of a Los Angeles-area National Public Radio affiliate. Email him at artukraft@msn.com.
July 29: Recounting of myth of Perseus and Medusa corrected, name of guitar sculpture added and name of Perseus sculpture corrected.
Aug. 1: Article extensively revised to focus on William Perillat’s work.
Aug. 9: Duplicated paragraph removed.
