Icarus flew too close to the sun, or so the myth goes. His wax wings melted, becoming as formless as the clay beneath sculptor Leslie Wentzell’s careful fingertips. In school, she was intrigued by the myth and made a screenprint of a female Icarus ascending into the sky.

She sculpted her piece “Within Limits Within” with a similar image in mind; only the main character is sequestered in a tower with a gargantuan peacock guarding it.

“The figure in the tower has a mirror and if you look inside at the right angle you can see yourself,” says Wentzell. “In my mind we’re all imprisoned, either by the restraints society places on us or the limits we place upon ourselves, and the peacock represents that guarding of the status quo. When you look in and see yourself, [the piece] could be asking, ‘what are you imprisoned by? What’s holding you back?’”

“Within Limits Within” is just one piece that will be featured in The Joe Center for the Arts’ Fins and Feathers All-Media art show through Aug. 16. Wentzell is a volunteer at The Joe, which was created last year as a place for visitors and locals to see art and share in artistic experiences.

Families are invited to take part in organized activities on Wednesdays, while Thursday talks with various speakers tie into the fish and bird theme of the show.

Wentzell’s other featured sculptures in the gallery include two fish and a mask. The “Funky Fish” is mounted on driftwood, a sheen glaze of maroon and teal swirling over its etched details. The fish are products of ceramics classes she teaches at her own space, The Artery.

“I thought it would appeal to students to make these funky-looking fish,” says Wentzell. “It really freed me up to not have to imbue it with any certain idea and just make the work an experiment with a surface.”

Working with The Joe, Wentzell is excited to see the organization grow. She is also looking forward to the Blue Tarp Project taking place concurrently with the “Fins and Feathers” show.

On Saturday, Aug. 10, visitors to the exhibit are invited to bring an 8.5 by 8.5 inch image, poem, collage or something of their choosing and contribute to an “art quilt” that will demonstrate Hurricane Michael’s impacts as well as highlight the natural beauty—birds, fish and beyond—of the area.

“We want this project to work as a piece of healing art for the community,” says Wentzell. “Whether they’re a visitor or live here, people have been impacted by that hurricane.”

Wentzell came to ceramics later in life. She and her husband ran their own commercial silkscreen printing business for many years. Wentzell enjoyed mixing colors and the prep work involved in printing, and took many classes at her local arts center. However, she resisted a wheel-throwing pottery class, instead preferring the easy cleanup involved with a box of pastels and paper. 

Eventually she took the leap and was hooked. Wentzell decided to go back to school and complete a degree in art. She declared a ceramics major, and credits her adviser for helping her to see herself as an artist, as well as her ceramics professor for inspiring her to work with different surface qualities.

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