New Show at Boston Sculptors Gallery Opens Today

The following is a press release from artist Liz Shepherd:

Boston Sculptors Gallery presents “Up and Out,” new work by sculptor and printmaker Liz Shepherd.

While Shepherd’s earlier work presented icons of home and family in disarray, “Up and Out” lifts the viewer above the fray, with life-sized staircases and images of towering ladders reaching from the floor to the 12-foot high ceiling. 

A staircase made of reclaimed doors, partially suspended, tilts and shifts into a twisting path upward. A second staircase, made from bed sheets and coverlets, is whimsically optimistic in its disregard for gravity.  Both sculptures are flanked by 12-foot screen prints and iconic etchings of ladders.

Shepherd's work makes a statement about faith and the human spirit: It is possible to rise above our attachments and cravings; we can and must continue to strive despite discouragement.  

"I use ladders and stairs as symbols of letting go of attachments and cravings," Shepherd said. "As archetypes, they are long standing symbols of a bridge between earth and heaven, but even in our daily lives, they embody our desire to succeed and fear of failure."

About the artist:

Shepherd received her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She divides her time between making sculpture and printmaking.

Her work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, as well as other public and private collections. She is the proprietor of the Shepherd Print Studio at 524 Harrison Avenue and president of the Boston Printmakers.

Show information:

Liz Shepherd, “Up and Out”

Saturday, Feb. 11, to Sunday, March 11

Boston Sculptors Gallery

486 Harrison Ave., Boston

Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, Noon to 6 p.m.

Contact: Liz Shepherd, 617-842-4010, liz@lizshepherd.com