Pearl Rucker, a Lake George artist with a studio in Glens Falls, is a sculptor with an emphasis on process--where repetition can be “practice” in making art.  The current theme of her work is flight and earning one’s wings.  This idea first came when she was 8, when a set of wings would allow her limitless exploration.

Pearl’s creation of her own set of wings references the cyclical nature of earth’s processes.  Most of her pieces represent the first phases of this metamorphosis.  Pearl has made seedlings and cocoons, all referencing the first phase of incubation--where a being begins before the wings are “earned.”  After Pearl makes a piece, she will place it outside, in a place where she feels safe or at home. During this phase she feels the work is about 25% finished.  From this point on she allows Mother Nature to take over and finish the process in order to return it to the earth. 

Pearl’s work experience is varied and intense.  She currently works on the Installation Crew at the Tang Teaching Museum and Gallery.  Other installation crews include the Guggenheim Museum in NYC, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and the International Center for Photography.  Pearl has also worked on the personal crew for Matthew Barney, the creator of the unconventional Cremaster Movie Series.  Along with increasing her building skills, working on such diverse crews has helped to narrow the scope of the art world.  Pearl explains:  “While in art school, artists are viewed as these mythic people; working on these crews has helped to break down that dichotomy and has made it easier for me to refer to myself as an artist.”  Pearl believes that going to school for art doesn’t automatically make you an artist--it is a process that takes a lifetime, culminating in achieving one’s own wings.

To commission an outdoor sculpture, contact Pearl at 656-9214.