CCMS Medicine Spring 2017 - 15

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include the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry
and the Historical Kearsley Building in Philadelphia, among
other sites. An occasional adjunct faculty member at West
Chester University, she graduated from WCU in 1995 with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Rhoda exhibits her hand-sculpted
tiles and sculpture regularly at fine art galleries while also
working on her commissioned tile work.

Artist Statement
"Mono no aware o shiru" is a Japanese phrase written by
an unknown artist which means "to understand and indulge
in the emotional appeal of objects to the human heart" and it
goes on to say, "the world of sentiments, which is discovered
in the harmony between the heart (mind) and the form of
object." Art is everywhere; whether or not we realize it, it is.
For me, it is this relationship between an object or feeling,
thought or concept and how it appeals to my sense of form.
It is looking at the mundane and seeing something beautiful
and unique. Within me, it stirs emotions and passions that I
can hardly contain. I have found that most of my art manifests
from nature. I am profoundly stimulated when I am outdoors
and surrounded by its peculiarities. Perhaps it stems from my
childhood growing up on a farm, I do not know. My work
usually starts with a fortuitous glimpse of some random point
of inspiration catching my eye, forcing me to stop and take
a closer look, embracing its texture, line, and emotion. You

Sheath, Stoneware
cannot look for inspiration, it must find you. It could be the way
a crack forms in the sidewalk, an expression on someone's face
or the way tree roots weave their way through the ground; there
lies art. Sometimes it is as though ordinary objects transform into
abstractions when there are no assumptions being made of them.
This inspires me and this is why I need to create.
For me, it is when I take these images and translate them into
a piece of clay that my art becomes tangible and not just a figment
in my imagination. Each piece takes on a life form of its own and
undoubtedly, it will unfold and explain itself through its many
layers. At this point, I am merely a narrator, collaging all the pieces
together. It starts in my mind, runs through my soul and comes
out through my fingers. My work becomes an extension of myself.
- R. Kahler, Spring 2017

Sheath, Stoneware

WCU Mural "Transitions" located on the
E. O. Bull Center at High and Rosedale Streets

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CCMS Medicine Spring 2017
