EARTHEN VESSELS

RELIQUARY SHADOW BOXES

2011-08-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

Reliquary - a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept (Miriam-Webster Dictionary)

In my latest series of clay sculptures, I have created detailed miniature clay forms utilizing colorfully painted fine white porcelain, much like the jewelry I posted earlier only slightly larger. I have combined the precious nature of a gilt finish with glass, stone and metal to give each object an air of peciousness. The deep black shadow boxes seem to enshrine the delicate objects and add to their sense of sacredness. As you look at the miniatures, notice how they sometimes hint at the human form and at other times an abstracted cross can be seen. The black wooden boxes are relatively small meauring just 6 by 8 inches on the outside.

MORE PORCELAIN JEWELRY

2011-07-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more examples of the porcelain jewelry I am working on.

PORCELAIN JEWELRY

2011-07-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

In the past few months I decided to work in a small scale and I have been creating diminutive shadow boxes and jewelry using a fine white porcelain clay. I have been utilizing a wide variety of textures and shapes in making the miniature organic forms. After each piece is constructed it goes through four seperate firings to acheive strength, surface and luster. Each piece is then hand painted and adorned with metalic pigment, glass or metal beads, brass rod, or other materials. Here are seven examples of the pieces I am doing. I have about 50 pieces in various stages of the creative process.

Quest for Peace Exhibit

2010-12-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

I am currently showing three pieces at the Miami Dade College Gallery. These pieces are from my latest series, Imago Dei, and were each created with the theme of peace in mind for the "Quest for Peace" annual show. These pieces all include examples of the figures I am currently working with. The masks are a part of a series of 12 and the other figures are a part of a set of 25. My goal will be to show all these pieces as an installation this spring. (Remember to click on the photos to enlarge the images)

IMAGO DEI

2010-05-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

The clay figure series I am currently developing is called Imago Dei. In biology "Imago" is the last stage of developement or metamorphosis for an insect. My imagry shows a symbolic human transformation from "chrysalis to butterfly." Imago Dei is a theological expresion which literally means the Image of God. It refers to both the way we are created in God's image but also how we are being transformed into His image. I plan on displaying these figures in a variety of ways, but usually in groupings as you see here. I currently have 25 figures done and my hope is to create another 25 in the next few months.

PAINT THE STARS

2010-05-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

This installation piece, Paint the Strars, is about the connection of artists to seeing God via the splendor of His created world. This assembled piece developed from two quotes. The first quote (seen on the back of the easel) comes from a letter Vincent Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo -

"When I have a terrible need of, shall I say the word, religion, I go out and paint the stars." Of course one of Van Gogh's most famous paintings is Starry Night.

The second quote (on the ground under the easel) comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - "Then the stars come out and the night is Holy."

ASCENDING / DESCENDING

2010-05-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

ASCENDING/DESCENDING - I recently completed a stacked, 2 part piece about the intersection of the earthly with the divine. The piece is based on two passages from the Bible. First, Jacob's dream as recorded in Genesis 28 - "And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the anghels of God were ascending and descending on it!"

The second passage comes from Jesus' comments to Nathanael in John 1 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven openned, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

This is the first piece where I have incorporated a form similar to Cypress knees to represent life arising from death or decay (as represented by the leaves on the ground at the base of the sculpture). This 2 part piece is about 7 feet in height.

ART SHOWS IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER

2009-12-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

November and December have been busy months. In November I had 3 pieces displayed in a juried show at ArtSpace MAGQ in the Falls Gallery District (see the photo of Toni and I at the gallery below). I also had a piece at an alumni exhibit at the CAS Gallery on the University of Miami campus. In November I also showed the large installation piece, Trinitas, at the University's Wynwood Project Space (the other photo above). Now, in December, I have 9 pieces on display at the ArtSpace Gallery. I am hoping over the next several weeks to finish 3 more large scale pieces to exhibit.

"SANCTA TRINITAS" INSTALLATION

2009-10-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

My goal over the past several months has been to take the themes and forms I have been working with and enlarge them. "Sancta Trinitas" (center photo) is a grouping of three large vertical forms and it is accompanied by "Archangel Michael" (top photo) to finish the installation. Lighting them from below brings out the luster of the finish and also provides an etherial look to the forms. The cast shadows become an integral part of the overall design.

These pieces were installed this week in a Sanctuary alcove for an Art/Music event at my church.

Please remember to click on any picture to see enlarged details.

LIZARDS IN CLAY

2009-10-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

Living in south Florida, I have always had a fascination with lizards and have included them in all forms of artwork. In these four pieces I am using the clay as a backdrop for the lizard form. Although two of the pieces are platters they are designed to be wall mounted. Remember, you can enlarge the images simply by clicking on them. I hope you enjoy them.

MINIATURE STACKED PIECES

2009-10-20T04:06:00.000-07:00

Most of my recent work has been on display at the gallery in our church through the entire summer. I was able to photograph the work as I took down the show. Below is an example of a finished project using the small miniature clay forms that I have been showing in previous blogs. Each of the clay pieces is no more than a few inches in height. By clicking on the photos you can see a much larger and more detailed image.

I also showed a whimsical stacked form (above) that utilizes several found metal pieces.

THE CHALICE SERIES

2009-01-30T14:32:00.000-08:00

I had to take a short break from the miniature stacked sculptures I have been working on in order to finish two pieces for an upcoming competition. The competition is sponsored by Lark publishing and they are seeking entries for a ceramic book they are creating called 500 VASES. I thought a few of my current Chalice pieces could fit their format so I have worked this week on finishing and photographing them. I wanted each of these pieces to take their inspiration from the Chalice but I wanted them to go beyond what we normally think of when we think of a communion cup.

The green Chalice (green symbolizing life) is one of the simplest forms I have created over the last year but I really think the combination of form, materials, and color is elegant. The red Chalice (red symbolizing the blood or wine) on the other hand is fairly elaborate with several components. In both pieces the Chalice (cone part) itself is designed to be able to be easily removed and then put back in place.

MORE WORK IN PROGRESS

2009-01-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

In these two photos you can pretty much see the stage I am at with this series. Several more miniature pieces were made - both leaves on the left and little wheel thrown pots on the right. These pieces were all loaded into the kiln today and will be fired the beginning of next week. Notice how I try to make each little pot unique through shape or texture. I think I will still need to make 2 more batches like this before I have enough to fill all the boxes I want to use.

In the other photo you can see how I begin to arrange and rearrange the already fired pieces by assembling them on a metal rod. At this stage, once they have been fired and before they are painted, I begin to look at which forms work best together. Once I find the combinations I like I will begin the painting process and start mounting them into the boxes. Of course the boxes still need to be arranged and painted or finished in other ways.

A NEW SERIES: Step 2

2009-01-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

As I continue to develope these new series there are several areas I work on at once. In the photo you can see me making clay "leaves" to fill the laqrger boxes I will be doing. I try to make about 12 leaves a day, hpoefully I will have about 100 to use in the sculptures. After they are formed they have to dry for one day and then I use various clay tools to refine their appearance. They are very delicate at this stage and I usually break a few in the process. Once fired they become much less fragile. You can also see in the foreground of the same photo I am arranging and rearranging the small boxes to try and decide how I want them to look as a finished piece (or pieces). Note how the boxes are totally unfinished at this point in the process. Later they will be painted and altered in a variety of way. I fired the first batch of miniture pots today (a 2 day process) and I should be able to start working with them tomorrow.

A New Series: from Start to Finish

2009-01-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

I just returned to the studio this week after the Christmas/Semester break. I thought it would be interesting to show the process of how I create some of my sculptures, so over the next few weeks I will include in the blog photos of 2 brand new series of pieces from conception to finished product.

I always start in my sketchbook so the first photo you will see is a page from the sketchbook that shows the conception of the new series: first, a set of three large boxes (that may develope into one piece) and second, a series of smaller box assemblages utilizing anywhere from 4 to 7 boxes put together for each sculpture. For inside the smaller boxes I am creating some Miniature Stacked sculptures and for the larger boxes I am creating some clay leaves.

On Monday I spent the day making clay with Bill Farnsworth. We each have a few hundred pounds to get started. Tuesday I began arranging and rearranging the different boxes to see what direction I wanted to head in and I began to sketch the ideas in my sketchbook. On Wednesday I worked on the wheel to begin making thrown forms for the stacked pieces, I also made several more leaves. You can see examples of both the miniature (from 2 to 3 inches high) thrown pieces (unfinished) and some leaves in the second photo. Today I trimmed, sanded and generally worked the individual pieces to a more finished place.

By the way, you can click on each photo to see a larger, more detailed version.

To be continued -

WALL MOUNTED PIECES

2008-12-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

In my most recent series of sculptures I have really enjoyed creating "stacked" pieces that are designed to hang on the wall. These sculptures are more "high relief" than "in the round" and hang flat against the wall like a painting. Some of the individual components are thrown - then cut in half - then finally craddled into a textured slab of clay, like the brown metallic piece here. Others, like the green sculpture, are seperate pieces just placed together in the hanging. I have also enjoyed using the metallic pigments mixed with acrylic paints to give a rich, luminescent finish to the clay. Aesthetically, I like that they need no base to support them and they can be as delicate on the bottom as on the top. These wall pieces average 24 inches in length.

ASSEMBLAGE

2008-12-09T04:59:00.001-08:00

All my sculptural work is ASSEMBLAGE in some way. ASSEMBLAGE, a French word pronounced like collage, is a 3-dimensional form of collage in which different materials or objects are "assembled" together in one sculpture. I incorporate a wide variety of materials into my clay sculptures. Often these are found objects like small metal pieces, seed pods, leaves, or twigs. I also include some repeated objects like nails, scabble tiles, or old keys. All these pieces that are added into the sculpture have a symbolic meaning that relates to the piece as a whole. I also try to incorporate objects that will relate to the piece asthetically. I hope that with the inclusion of these objects that I am able to add more to the look and to the narrative of the piece.

JARS OF CLAY

2008-12-08T04:26:00.000-08:00

My stacked clay sculptures are loosely base on the human form. My first stacked pieces were more literal, having obvious arms, torsos and heads. My more recent forms only suggest those things. The concept and title for this series were taken from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians in the New Testament:
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

This metaphore of clay and the human body was not a new one with Paul. Genesis describes Adam as being made from the "dust of the ground." It says later in the same book "from dust you are and to dust you will return." Paul uses this metaphore in another place speaking of God and man saying "I (God) am the potter, you (man) are the clay."

My stacked clay peices are meant to show this tension between the earthy and spiritual natures we all have. Though we are made of temporary "clay" bodies there is within us all something of the eternal. I incorporate different elements, both natural and man made, into the sculpture to accent our connection to the world. I also try to hint at the sacred or eternal with other elements.

WORDS IN ART

2008-12-05T04:26:00.000-08:00

I have always liked incorporating words into my work, I feel it adds to the narrative of an artwork. A while back I started using Scabble tiles to form the words. I like using the tiles for several reasons. First, they are nicely made of wood (they feel great in the hand) and the color and surface work well visually with the other objects I incorporate into the pieces. On a more conceptual level, I like the tiles because they represent a game (one that I enjoy) in which random tiles are organzed into words. I really like that concept of something ordered (and very visually ordered on the board) coming from randomness. I also think the use of words engages the viewers a little more with the piece, it gives them one more clue as to what that piece is about. In the box titled Frailty I wanted to arrange the tiles in a "Frail," unstable way. I think the instability of the objects in the box speaks to the frailty of life. Dust 7 (To Dust You Shall Return) also speaks of this frailty of life but more in the way of a cycle of life. In this box I use stained shards of clay as a base to give an almost archeological feel to the contents, but, even in this dismal layer of rubble there are objects of hope.

CLAY AND NATURE

2008-12-04T04:58:00.000-08:00

I love working with clay, it is so "Earthy" - Actually, it is earth. I really like the relationship of the fired clay to natural objects like seed pods, leaves and twigs. These natural forms have a conceptual relationship with clay since they grow in and from the ground, but I also create a visual relationship with the clay in my use of shape, texture and color. I think the contents of these two boxes illustrate this well. In the bottom box there are real seed pods from the Mahogany tree in various stages of developement (I use these in different forms in many of my pieces, I think they are so evocative of life and regeneration). I combined these seed pods with high fired clay forms that have been textured and stained with oxides to give a "seed pod" like appearance. I then contrasted the earthiness of the pods and clay forms with the high polish of three round stones. The interior of the top box is more about the contrast of the soft yellow seed fluff with the almost stonelike quality of the clay seed pods. There is also a contrast between the random texture of the fluff and the ordered, geometric texture of the clay surfaces. These are some of the relationships I like to explore as I assemble my sculptures, whether boxes or free standing pieces.

2008-12-03T07:21:00.001-08:00

These are 2 pieces that were exhibited in the Quest for Peace show at Miami Dade. The box on the right is part of a series of boxes titled "Dust" and the other piece, on the top right is a wall hanging from the series "Jars of Clay." The piece that won first place is in the earlier blog, see below. All three of these pieces incorporate Scrabble tiles to "spell out" a short message, Seeds of Peace on the lid of the box and PAX (Peace) on the bottom of the wall hanging.

QUEST FOR PEACE AWARD

2008-12-03T06:27:00.001-08:00

In November, Miami Dade and the Kendall Chamber of Commerce sponsored a Competition/Exhibit at the campus gallery with "Quest for Peace" as the theme. I had 3 pieces selected for the show and one, "Salem, the city of Peace" won first place in Sculpture. Here is a photo of the box and a close-up.

WORKING IN CLAY

2008-12-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

For the past year I have been trying to make a new start as an artist. After retiring from a 37 year career of teaching in the arts I decided to pursue doing my own art full time. This past January I enrolled at Miami Dade College and have worked in their clay studio almost daily for the past 12 months. In that time I have been able to produce about 45 clay sculptures working in three directions: Found boxes, freestanding stacked pieces and wall hanging pieces. All the sculptures are assemblages combining clay with other objects, natural and man made. I have shown pieces from this series at the campus Art Gallery and at a gallery space at my church, Crossbridge Church Miami. I hoping to begin showing through a gallery in the near future.

These were two early pieces:

I will be trying to set up a web site soon but until I do I will try to use this blog to post new work as it is finished.