Ceramic Sculpture
As a face is created in the soft clay, a personality evolves. The color and shadowing of the final piece helps to show a character. A name is chosen and for some, a story or poem is written about them to to let the viewer imagine the life that led to the features and expression.
Surfaces are created with a combination of stains and glazes. Recent work also includes face sculptures with unique and exciting encaustic surfaces.
I enjoy making these contemporary face sculptures with mildly abstract features and rustic background colors and surfaces. Surface imperfections are intentionally included, adding to the character of the piece.
The glazes, underglazes, oxides and encaustic waxes are my pallet, allowing for creative freedoms that create each personality.
Each of these contemporary wall sculptures is given a name in an effort to further define the person behind the face.
Each is unique, not a portrait of a real person. The clay determines the face as I work it with my hands.
Pottery
Decorative and functional handbuilt pottery is fun to create. From a ceramic basket to a funky flower pot, all are blank canvases for colors and shapes to be added. Stoneware, earthenware, porcelain and raku clays have been used for the pottery I have created.
My mother made baskets with wood and reed. As I make a basket with clay, I feel as though I am continuing her craft legacy.
Encaustic
Encaustic art is made with aencaustic medium - a combination of beeswax and resin. These works are typically paintings on board or paper. The surfaces are rich with depth and luminosity, allowing for color and content to show through layers of encaustic medium.
My recent work includes encaustic surfaces on my ceramic face sculptures. Using this medium allows me to create colors and textures that are impossible with glazes and traditional ceramic media.
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