Photo by QUENTIN ROUX

“Exhaling"

Sculptor Lisa Ruttan Wolff began stone carving in 1991 in Atlanta, Ga., has participated in a number of sculpture shows, and is widely collected. A teacher, she works in alabaster, marble, soapstone and limestone. Wolff’s sculpture, “Exhaling,” is on exhibition at Town Center Mall on North Collier Boulevard, and can be found in front of Blue Mangrove Gallery.

Raised in Florida, Wolff finds that the ocean still influences her sculpture. She says, “It feels so natural to repeat the rhythms of the waves in the curves of the stone I carve. I have done several shell forms over the years, naming each one after a favorite beach. They twist and turn forming shadows and memories of the ocean.”

About “Exhaling,” the artist, who feels that this sculpture is a female form, says, “She comes from the bottom of the ocean where she slowly dances to a different time frame, exhaling the bubbles which slowly float to the top.” Rejecting the base supplied by the ArtQuest committee, Wolff explained that she wanted “Exhaling” to be placed close to the ground “So that people can approach her and explore and experience her.”

ArtQuest is the biennial feature event of the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) all-volunteer charitable organization. This exhibition, which continues through April 15, includes 17 sculptures by artists from far-flung locations such as Switzerland, Maine, New York and Colorado. Several Florida artists are also represented. All of the sculptures are for sale. Details can be obtained from Juan Munera at the Studio Gallery: 239-394-5452.

The ArtQuest 2008 guide and map is available at any of the sponsor’s locations. For more information about ArtQuest 2008, contact the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts 239-389-1603, or visit www.marcoarts.org.

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