ARTIST’S
STATEMENT
“I combine sculptural
hand-building techniques with slip cast elements to create collage-like
surfaces. These figurative sculptures create beautiful and sometimes
disturbing contrasts from castings of common objects, appearing like
archeological remains. The objects I cast for these sculptures are
often kitsch or abandoned, tacky or industrial, or plebian. The anonymous
object, without fame or specificity is preferred. In modern culture,
some people define themselves by the objects they own: in some ways
these pieces portray a consumer driven, disposable society. In contrast
to the consumerist objects on the surface, the forms are strongly
influenced by Catholic reliquaries and religious figures; objects
intended to inspire transcendent emotions. The figures are small,
and often doll-like to encourage a closer inspection of the strange
and gothic themes. Currently I am
working with more than one figure in each piece, sometimes in shrine-like
theatrical settings, and encouraging the viewer to create a narrative.
These open-ended dramas can be seen as humorous and yet serious: sexual,
political, spiritual, or emotional. I’m also experimenting with glaze
surfaces, imitating wood-fire, high temperature ash glazing, and other
non-clay surfaces in low temperature oxidation firing, as an additional
way of questioning the boundary between art and craft within ceramics
as well as in the larger art world.” |
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