about — Stuart L Tessler

Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC, May, June 2025

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2024, Avery Healthcare and the Arts Award

Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC, May, June 2024

Saul Alexander Gallery Charleston County Library, Charleston, SC, Solo Exhibition “A Sense of Time, of Place” December 2023

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2023, Avery Healthcare and the Arts Award

ArtFields, Juried exhibition, Lake City, SC, April 2023

A Sense of Place, Juried Art Exhibition at Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA, September, October 2022

Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC, May, June 2022

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2021 Protection of Voting Rights Award

MOJA Arts Festival Juried art exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC October 2021

Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston SC, May, June 2021

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2020, Avery Healthcare and the Arts Award

Art of Mind, Juried Exhibition, Imuj, Raleigh, NC, May 2019

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2018

SC State Fair Fine Art Exhibition, Juried exhibition, Columbia, SC October 2018.

Trager Contemporary, Solo exhibit, Charleston, SC March 2018

Fall Foliage Art Show, Waynesboro, VA, Second Place Sculpture Award, October 2017

SC State Fair Fine Art Exhibition, Juried exhibition, Columbia, SC October 2017.

Town of Mt Pleasant Public Art Competition, Coleman Blvd., May 2017-April 2018

ArtFields, Juried exhibition Lake City, SC, April 2017

New Contemporaries, Juried exhibition at the Halsey Gallery of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, April 2017

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2016

The creation of figurative sculpture compels a level of observation that would otherwise be superficial. Whether realistic or fanciful, molding the clay or carving the wood brings “those around us” into a brighter light and with that, gives heightened understanding and appreciation of the conditions in which we live. We are part of a diverse population. The variability in physical characteristics is readily apparent. More subtle and often hidden variances present in many ways. The differences may result from experience or genetics, may be temporary or permanent, inconsequential or significant. How we perceive them, too frequently causes us to turn away, or fail to accept the reality of circumstances so foreign to our own lives.

I try to bring into focus the faces experiences joy and perhaps, pain of people I have met or merely observed. My interpretation may enhance their appearance, exaggerate a feature or occasionally, even attempt to present a real likeness. I have also used sculpture as a vehicle to express my displeasure over the actions or inactions of our leaders and legislators and to view the pain associated with mental health issues of depression to dementia. Several of the pieces are comprised of couples, reflecting the comfort of meaningful relationships. And, some are simply fanciful caricatures, emphasizing form over message.

The abstract sculptures, primarily of wood, and more recently steel, reflect my visions of order or disorder. The piece may be influenced by the features of the material, with knots and inclusions of bark, cracks in the wood offering character and direction for the carving process.

Since my retirement from the practice of podiatry, I have been sculpting in wood and clay. As a podiatrist, my experiences required facility with hand and power instrumentation to repair and modify bony deformities of the foot. Now able to use tools that previously were forbidden given a remote injury potential that would have prevented me from caring for my patients, I am employing many of the same skills and using similar instrumentation in my wood carving and modeling in clay. My experience with spatial relations and observation of the human form permit me to share interpretations in wood and clay.

The various woods for carving are culled from discards, obtained from tree removal or trimming. All wood is local South Carolina or Maryland, with the very dense live oak being prevalent. The fabrication of a figure or a design from steel connotes a permanence that is not obtained with either wood or clay.

I have taken advantage of the learning opportunities provided at the College of Charleston under professors Herb Parker and Jarod Charzewski and at Brookgreen Gardens with the late John Sisko, Peter Rubino and Simon Kogan.

Sculpture is in private collections in Charleston SC, Chicago, IL, Guilford, CT, Syracuse, NY, New York, NY , Silver Spring, MD, Rochester, NY, Boston, Los Angeles and Rockville, MD

Exhibits:

Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC, May, June 2025

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2024, Avery Healthcare and the Arts Award

Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC, May, June 2024

Saul Alexander Gallery Charleston County Library, Charleston, SC, Solo Exhibition “A Sense of Time, of Place” December 2023

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2023, Avery Healthcare and the Arts Award

ArtFields, Juried exhibition, Lake City, SC, April 2023

A Sense of Place, Juried Art Exhibition at Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA, September, October 2022

Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC, May, June 2022

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2021 Protection of Voting Rights Award

MOJA Arts Festival Juried art exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC October 2021

Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston SC, May, June 2021

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2020, Avery Healthcare and the Arts Award

Art of Mind, Juried Exhibition, Imuj, Raleigh, NC, May 2019

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2018

SC State Fair Fine Art Exhibition, Juried exhibition, Columbia, SC October 2018.

Trager Contemporary, Solo exhibit, Charleston, SC March 2018

Fall Foliage Art Show, Waynesboro, VA, Second Place Sculpture Award, October 2017

SC State Fair Fine Art Exhibition, Juried exhibition, Columbia, SC October 2017.

Town of Mt Pleasant Public Art Competition, Coleman Blvd., May 2017-April 2018

ArtFields, Juried exhibition Lake City, SC, April 2017

New Contemporaries, Juried exhibition at the Halsey Gallery of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, April 2017

2016 FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2016

Saul Alexander Gallery Charleston County Library, Solo Exhibition “Those Around Us” November 2016

Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art exhibition at the City Gallery, Charleston SC, May 2016

New Contemporaries, Halsey Gallery of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, Best Sculpture Award April 2016

FL3TCH3R Exhibit - Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Juried exhibition. Reece Museum, ETSU, Johnson City, TN October - December 2016