This canine character first sprang from the artist's pen some twenty-five years ago. His mischievous adventures have since been the subject of many artworks by Joan Waters. Spot recalls the winning energy and curiosity of a puppy, eager and intent. He stands watchfully on pointed paws that echo his alert, upright ears and tail. His round, cartoon-like eye becomes a porthole for the viewer, emphasizing the two-dimensionality of this"cookie-cutter" creature crafted not from the sweet dough of childhood he evokes, but from 100 pounds of welded steel. Waters has invented her own lasting, graphic icon to raise our spirits and challenge our perception of space.

Curator, Mike Stack