201/2” x 18.5” x 18”, Mid-Fire Clay, terra sigillata, stains, glaze, underglaze, multiple firings. This disturbing, yet humorous clown sits on a trunk drinking his coffee from his brazenly labeled Crazy Killer Clown mug, while holding his cigar in his other hand.
As with the first Self Acceptance sculpture, this piece explores the acceptance of our dark side. Once overwhelmingly afraid of clowns, I have since exorcised my fears through the therapy of making my art, and have come to love clowns with all of their psychological and metaphorical power. What is a more appropriate symbol of our dark side than a Crazy Killer Clown?
Mid Fire Clay, house paint, glaze, gold leaf
20” x 15” x 26”
This figurative sculpture explores the struggle of the fledgling. I have barn swallows in my barn, and the summer I began my journey as a professional artist, one fledgling kept trying to escape the nest before it was ready. I called the local wildlife rescue and they said if it isn’t flapping enough get off the ground at least a bit, that it was ok to put it back in the nest. I put it back 5 times before it was able to fly away. This little bird and I had a lot in common. I was struggling to get off the ground and so was it. I felt like I was jumping in over my head too. We are all fledglings.
Mid-fire clay, terra sigillata, stains, underglaze, glaze, multiple firings
26.5” x 10.5” x 11.5”
The name, Naphtali, means stuggle. This piece is an examination of our daily human struggles. The crown may symbolizes fulfillment and attainment, those things that we strive to achieve. The holes symbolize loss and what is missing. The dripping of the glaze could be representative of the coating of our everyday struggles. The figure holds the pieces that create the holes. Whether she is picking up the pieces, putting the pieces together or throwing them out is in question. There is a gold piece in her hand that could possibly represent hope.
Mid fire clay, terra sigillata, stains, underglaze, glaze, multiple firings
27”x 8” x 11”
This figure explores the nature of our cyclical mind with her large spiral hair, and the squirrels crawling down it. The head sits in a nest with thorns on top of a torso ripped open exposing a cage door with peanuts inside. The cyclical mind is sometimes called chasing squirrels. The peanuts represent trapping ourselves in this pattern by feeding the squirrels.
Mid fire clay, terra sigillata, stain, underglaze, glaze, multiple firings
26.5” x 8” x 6”
The figure explores the exploitation of women. The original idea came from a black and white photograph of a saloon girl. Saloon girls had many names, soiled doves and painted ladies. When I thought about women in these different roles over the years, the Playboy bunny came to mind, and my figure gained a humanized rabbit form. She is standing on a drawer with personal belongings in it. A drawer symbolizing a place to put your stuff, a safe place, in direct contrast to the expectations of the saloon girl. Epitaph symbolizes the death of the exploitation of women.
Perception, (2016), a rabbit (22”x15”x 10”), low fire clay, fired to Cone 06 and cold finished with acrylic paint. The figure is primarily painted in black and white with the exception of the eyes. The emphasis is placed on the eyes directed toward the empty watch to convey the subjective perception of time. Our human need for understanding and control leads us to create what we feel is an objective instrument to keep track of time, yet our individual perceptions of how time passes is very subjective.
Keeper of Time is the feminine version of father time. She sits on a clock tower with a locked door. On her head is a clock with wings locked in a cage. Keeper represents the illusion of linear time, and the confinement of that belief. Although she is visually representing the construct of these faulty beliefs, internally, she knows better.
Mid fire clay, terra sigillata, stain, underglaze, glaze, key
22 1/2” x 14” x 8”
Stanley is a character. He loves to engage the patrons at shows. He especially loves the kids. He has the key to the castle, and knows the secrets. If you listen closely, he just might tell you one or two.
Mid fire clay, terra sigillata, stains, underglaze, multiple firings, brass skewer, metal heart with wings and keys
21” x 12” x 7”
Jasper is a jester. He is a trickster, a fool, and a jokester. He loves life and enjoys bringing a little tom foolery to the party. He carries a brass scepter and holds the keys to your heart.
Security is an illusion, (2017), head attached to a house, (18 ½ “ x 9”x 8”) , mid-fire clay, fired to Cone 1, second fire to Cone 06, terra sigillata, stain, gold leaf. This figure imparts the sense that a house can ground you, and make you feel secure, but in reality, security is an illusion. The head and the house are liquefying a bit as the reality sets in, the facial features convey a sense of moving toward peace and acceptance while trying to silence the contrasting fool in his head.
Persona, (2016), figure holding a mask (18 ½ “x 6”x 6 ½”), mid-fire clay, fired to Cone 1, second fire to Cone 06, underglaze, iron oxide, stain, glaze. This piece represents the self that we reveal to society. The figure is in a shiny fancy ball gown, holding a glitter mask with feathers representing the perfect self that is outwardly presented. The vacant empty eyes behind the fancy mask, the fool’s hat, and the demons that hide within are all present, but are to be hidden from public view as the figure holds her finger to her lips indicating her need to conceal the less than perfect self.
Self-Acceptance, (2016), clown sitting on a trunk, (20“x 17” x17.5” ), mid –fire clay fired to Cone 1, second firing to Cone 06, terra sigillata, stain, underglaze, glaze. Self-acceptance came about when menacing clowns were popping up in the national news in the fall of 2016. Our seemingly universal fear of clowns, which is named coulrophobia, came to the forefront, and provided a very interesting topic to explore. One interesting theory about our fear of clowns, is that the painted on smile is psychologically uncomfortable, and it inhibits our ability to read the facial expresssions providing us with important social cues that guide our interactions. Creating and poking fun at unsettling and fearful topics can bring a sense of control and emotional release. In this sculpture, a disturbing, yet humorous clown sits on a circus trunk with a machete lying next to him. The clown is holding a cup of coffee with the words, Crazy Killer Clown, while looking out contemplatively, and feeling satisfied as if finding comfort in the chaos of his persona, and accepting the many levels of self.
Magikal Thinking (2017), coyote in a jester hat holding a moon, (20”x13”x16”), mid-fire clay fired to Cone 1, second firing to Cone 06, terra sigillata, stain, underglaze, glaze, gold metal bells. Magical thinking is considered a cognitive distortion in the psychological world, but in contrast, a necessity in the creative mind. The coyote is the universal symbol of the trickster and joker, and the keeper of magic as reflected in the jester hat, and the moon. The moon that the coyote is holding is a mystical symbol of the measure of time, and cyclical changes in life and nature. The moon has influenced worship, ceremonies, and beliefs throughout history.
