Holly and Ashlee Temple

The sisters Holly and Ashlee Temple work in mixed media and generate small and large works on canvas and paper, as well as miniature three-dimensional assemblages. The concept of icon is a powerful presence in their work, both in the literal sense as well as the metaphorical and symbolic. While the Temple sisters often incorporate powerful images from various faiths, these figures and symbols are never intended to endorse religion in the traditional or conventional sense; rather, they are to meant to address our personal and collective relationship with iconography, specifically the effects of time and culture on the sacred.

The Three pieces presented here Salon Azul, Rembrandt Fetish and Little Saint, as in most of the body of their work investigate a traditional as well as untraditional iconic images and techniques By exploring size, texture, color and placement and reassembling these with traditional aspects of sacred art the artists seek to remind the audience that the power of an icon is in the eye of the viewer and her particular cultural milieu The pieces are never meant to tell a specific story but suggest the story that is juxtaposed in the personal time and place of the viewer.

© Holly and Ashlee Temple