“Heart of Stone” at Mountain Shadows

By Lauren Wong

From now through the end of May, you can find the new exhibition, “Heart of Stone,” at Mountain Shadows. The work is a collaboration between Lena Klett and Christy Wittmer, two Phoenix-based artists who’ve come together to portray their “combined interests in themes of impermanence, architecture, nature, and human interaction with space and landscape.”

Wittmer uses clay to construct pieces that challenge the expectations of function and notions of stability. Klett forces us to reimagine objects as she brings it out of a readily understood context. She does this with her abstract creations she makes using economical and ephemeral materials as tools.

The collection as a whole uses structural and assemblage techniques to get their message across. Artist, Christy Wittmer, majored in painting and sculpture as an undergraduate. Her curiosity in exploring different materials and techniques helped her discover her passion of working with clay. After graduating she continued to take any ceramics class she could find.


“My current practice of building sculptures from clay and other materials developed in graduate school where I also began to understand how my work fits into the context of art history and contemporary art,” Wittmer says.

Her work has allowed her to travel, making artwork as part of residencies. This has brought her some of her greatest memories within her career. Last summer she got the chance to spend five weeks in Rome, exploring the city and making art. “This summer I’ll spend a month in Wyoming at Jentel Artist Residency just focusing on making my work,” Wittmer says. “I’m looking forward to starting some new projects for an exhibit at Eye Lounge gallery in July.”

When it comes down to passion, she explains that it’s all about the materials she’s using and the environment in which she’s working. “Art gives us a framework for understanding what we experience in the world and the tools to respond,” Wittmer says.

To see the collection for yourself, plan a trip to Mountain Shadows before May 31.