Gallery

Pit-fired Sphere

Pit-fired Sphere


9″ x 9″ x 9″

Twice yearly a dozen or so ceramicists from the Santa Fe and Taos areas place their wheel-thrown or slab-built pieces in a large pit lined with horse bedding. Dried coffee grounds, sea weed, horse hair, salt, copper wire, plant fertilizers — and whatever else artists want to add — are sprinkled judiciously in the pit. Hard wood is added and the heap set ablaze. It smolders for a day.

When uncovered there are oohs and aaahs, surprises and disappointments, at what had been created. Mine was a long aaah.

The gold accent lines were painted afterward

Peaceable Kingdom

Peaceable Kingdom

11″ x 10″ x 5″

Bulls try to unseat unwelcome riders at Rodeos.   Matadors taunt these giants to the point of rage and then orchestrate their killing under the guise of sport. I find it all disconcerting.

I sculpted this charging bull with s small red bird riding on its back.   I have had the opportunity to visit Tanzania a few times. There I witnessed birds hitching a taxi ride on the backs of lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos and all manner of four legged creatures.   Someone told me that the birds were looking for their next meal of insects.

To me the bull and its rider is an image of a this-worldly peaceable world … rather than of Wall Street or misplaced sport.

Regal Raven

Regal Raven


14″ x 7″ x 6″

Unless you live in the Southwest, ravens are noisy maligned creatures.  Their squawk is strident. They are also a little menacing as they sit on high perches ready to swoop down whenever a meal is in sight. Few seem to admire them with the same interest we bestow on songbirds or those of color.

Evidently ravens are among the smartest of all birds. They play, solve problems, and communicate well. There is even the theory that they pass on some life-saving behaviors to their offspring genetically (rather than having to teach the young).  In other words, ravens are smart.

Little wonder that some Native American peoples depict ravens in human form. I follow that tradition. My raven is dressed as an aristocrat, even regal in bearing.. Her cope is gold, her tunic burgundy.   Her hand rests over her heart.

This raven is my reminder to look twice at everyone and everything.

Large Basket in Clay

Large Basket in Clay


14″ x 14″ x 11″

After being fired, this piece sat on a table in the studio.  When I arrived, three potters were discussing it. “I thought it was a woven basket.” said one.  Two others nodded in agreement. “How hard was it to adhere the bronzed owl to its lid?” asked another.

I did not try to make this large slab built pot to resemble a woven basket.  Neither is the owl made of bronze. It is clay. My only intent was to make an earthy-looking attractive pot that was both functional and eye catching.

James Baldwin

James Baldwin


12″ x 13″ x 8″

 

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” 

James Baldwin. A remarkable man. Intelligent, insightful, a master of recognizing human foibles, black, gay, educated, sophisticated, an artist in word and style.

“It is easy to proclaim all souls equal in the sight of God; it is hard to make men equal on earth in the sight of men.”

Homage to Quilters

HOMAGE TO QUILTERS

21″h x 15″w x 15″d

Ceramic

My wife is a quilter, one of well over a hundred women and men belonging to the Northern New Mexico Quilting Guild.  You might think of them as a stay-at-home old fashion group of people content to sew and gossip.  Wrong.  They are an involved, aesthetically sensitive, socially minded, and diverse group of caring artists. In fact you can find organized quilting guilds in towns and cities across the country.
Earlier this year I attended the weekend gathering of 123 National Guard soldiers who recently returned from service abroad. They were being debriefed and informed about issues they would face returning home.  It was heartening to be among them as an observer.
As part of their homecoming, Guild members made a handmade personalized “Quilts of Valor” for each veteran. They were awarded as the last activity of the weekend.  To say that the soldiers were appreciative is to understate the obvious.
As I was leaving the hotel, I stopped in the washroom to ready myself for the trip home.  Two soldiers were talking.  “How was it?” one fellow asked the other. “OK. Better than I thought.” How’s that?” “It was those quilts. They made everything worthwhile.”
I didn’t say a word yet the image of those two highly tattooed muscular shaved head uniformed men cradling their quilts has stayed with me.  Their experience awakened within me a desire to pay homage to quilters.
My sculpture is highly cracked.  Following the Japanese tradition of artfully mending broken pots by filling the cracks with golden fill, I did the same.  The result was striking.  No wonder some potters were accused of breaking pots simply to enhance their value!
If you are not familiar with quilting as an art, click on the Gee’s Bend Quiltmaker’s website at www.soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers.