Art Up Hosts Works by Clorfeine, Thomas

MARGARETVILLE — Last Friday September 26, ArtUp Gallery in Margaretville hosted a reception for their new exhibition: “Going to Ground,” the works of Steve Clorfeine and Nat Thomas. 

Steve Clorfeine and Nat Thomas are seasoned artists whose work spans numerous mediums and explorations. This exhibit, curated by ArtUp Co-Director Patrice Lorenz, focuses on Clorfeine’s clay - small hand-built pots, vases, containers, and platters - and Thomas’s collage.

Thomas’s collages stem from the joy he finds working in his garden. Borrowing from ephemeral materials, he “grows” his blooms in paper, cut and pasted in distinctive arrangements.

Steve’s ceramic pieces are described by the gallery as “all ask[ing] to be held to experience the warmth infused by Clorfeine’s eye and touch”. Indeed, his pieces have a soft or rounded appearance, with a selection of 24 bowls in a case looking like they were chiselled from various Catskills rocks. Some of the vases seem loose and baggy; stamped with fabric stamps and patterned rollers, they look like purses or totes without their handle and that’s part of their charm. The plates are substantial and heavy, but are wavy, reminiscent of floating lily pads, as if they’re welcoming your hand. 

Asked what attracts Steve to clay in particular, he responded: “It’s earth. The clay is coming out of the earth, and it’s very clear to me that it’s connected to any child’s fantasy of what to do with a handful of dirt - mud. Kids are totally fascinated with clay in that way”. 

“I started making pots in 1970 and after a 20 year hiatus, began again at Women’s Studio Workshop in 2003. Hand-building is what I’m drawn to. I’ve had several inspiring teachers along the way and many sculptor/potters I’ve looked to for ideas and possibilities.The artifacts of the potters of ancient civilizations attracted me from childhood museum trips. Later in life, as a performer, teacher and persistent traveler I took the opportunity everywhere I landed to look at and buy ceramics: from highly decorated East Indian and Mexican tiles and containers to Swiss and German mid-century art pottery to classic Native American bowls. Most likely it’s the bowls from Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico which I saw in 1975 that sent me into an ongoing pursuit of ‘pinch pots’. It’s a lowly name for these pueblo traditions”. 

Nat Thomas is a Margaretville-based artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, collage, and quilt-making. He earned a BFA in printmaking from Louisiana State University in 1973 and pursued graduate work in sculpture and theater at LSU. His work has been featured in solo shows at Roxbury Arts Group, Chace-Randall Gallery (Andes), Erpf Gallery (Catskill Center), Enderlin Gallery (Roxbury), and Hopper House Art Center (Nyack). A founding member of Longyear Gallery, Thomas also serves on the Catskill Mountain Artisans Guild and the ARC of Delaware County boards.

ArtUp, 746 Main Street, Binnekill Square, Margaretville, NY 12455. Hours: Friday - Sunday 12pm - 4pm. “Going to Ground” will be on show from September 26 - October 19, 2025. https://www.artupmargaretville.com/exhibition/going-to-ground