Yes, I smashed their faces, but they are cuter this way. I will glaze the interiors so they can be used for a small bouquet of cut flowers or a handful of pencils. My nod toward utility.
Fly Away Home
Dedalus on his way to permanent home— installed at Dedalus Wine bar. Goodbye sir! It’s been real (Really, hairy, to tell the truth, Firing this thing was a bear.).
Boredom or Angst?
I choose Angst. This piece was bugging me. As it got more and more finished, it became less and less interesting. Was it a man or a woman? Was he/she happy or just placid? There was no life there. Ugh. After a few days of fiddling with details, I just took a knife to her/him. Removed her eyes, half her nose. I really liked her mouth, but it had to go. Now I had something to work with. After an hour or so a woman emerged who had something going on. A little less placid, but a lot more alive. The moral of the story: Don’t be afraid to take a knife to your little darlings.
His Head in My Lap
Out for a ride with Dionysus. This piece was too heavy to carry back to my studio from the show at Dedalus (which is quite close to my studio), and too delicate to wrap and pack (it was unfired at the time of the show), so friends John and Elaine shepherded me (ha, their German shepherd looks on).
Show Time
The show at Dedalus was pretty cool, if I do say so myself. The venue is beautiful, the lighting was dramatic, and I freaking loaded the joint with sculpture. Here are some highlights.
Pan, part of my Greek god series.
The Minotaur, Dedalus, Pan.
Dedalus, who fashioned wings of feathers and wax for himself and his son Icarus to escape imprisonment. Didn’t work out so well for Icarus.
Archie the plumber. Yes, a real person. He fixed the pipes. I made a head.
The show is in a wine store so bottles everywhere.
Dionysus, god of wine, dripping with grapes.
The Minotaur, half man, half bull. Sad life for this creature, imprisoned in the Labyrinth.
Assortment: winemaker in Santa Barbara, dancer, guy in a twist, meditative gal.
Nymphs. They keep Dionysus company.
Cubist guy, small but cute. Made in Mexico with Zacateca clay.
Zacateca guy, Immigrante, all woman, nude with headdress.
A herd of peeps.
On the wall, for now anyway. One fell off and broke before the show opened. Farewell, ponytail girl.
Into the Fire
These three going into a raku firing tomorrow.
Off the Wall
Arranging pieces for the wall at Dedalus. Show at Art Hop next week!
All Twisty
Four twisted souls consigned to the kiln today.
WE ARE FURRY
Jennifer McCandless, my studio partner, wiith an adorable addition to her series Scenes from the Apocalypse. Every hair on this furry lady is made and applied individually.
SIDE A, SIDE B
Had some clay left in a bag so banged it out into a slab (well, rolled it with a pastry rolling pin). Let it dry a bit then stood it up to see what emerged. This did.
GODS AND EXPLOSIONS
This September I’ll have a show during Burlington’s big Arts District event, Art Hop. My work will be at Dedalus, the wine bar where I, ahem, spend a lot of time. Burlington folks, come see it if you can. September 6 – probably end of the month.
Since it’s in a wine shop, it seemed obvious to make a head of Dionysus, god of wine.
My Dionysus is a pretty boy and looks sweeter than a god of wine ought to look, but he charmed me. I dried him for a few weeks. Put him in the kiln and BOOM. He totally exploded during firing. On the kiln shelf was a pile of clay chunks and dust. And a nose and nearly unrecognizable chunks of skull, etc.
Sadly this has happened to me before. I am impatient – I don’t dry long enough. And sloppy – my hollowing is thick and imperfect. I deserve what I get.
After an hour or two of trying to glue pieces together with plans to rebuild it with joint compound and epoxy and god knows what else, I just thought, screw it. I’m going to resculpt the guy.
The second Dionysus is so different than the first. Twice the size. A healthy dose of attitude and alcohol in this guy.
Horns and Hoofs
After Dionysus I fell into a Greek mythology fever. Pan, god of the shepherds and flocks, called to me and it was so fun making a man with horns and hooves!
Next came Dedalus (above) namesake of the bar where I’d be showing, who made wings of wax for himself and his son Icarus (not a good outcome for Icarus). He also designed the Labyrinth where the Minotaur paced. My Minotaur (below) is a sweet, sad bovine.
Gardens and Grandson
Along with the days in the studio making stuff and blowing it up, I am maintaining large gardens (mine and a commercial one I created)
and having fun Thursdays with my 2 ½ year old grandson Oliver. His passion is vehicles of all kinds, so we spend the day looking at buses (“Blue bus!!”), and searching out construction sites.
Lost His Mind
Dionysus 2 was hollowed yesterday and removed from the armature. The guy weighed a ton and there were a few fraught moments, but so far, so good.
Bees and Boobs
Bees kept drowning in my birdbath. The sides were too slippery, the water too deep. So I dug up this sculpture from the basement and plunked her in. Voila! Life raft for flailing insects! Plus she looks great in this raku-crackled bowl.
