In Case Your Wondering, I've been playing in the mud!

Hello everyone and please excuse the long absence from me posting anything on this page. I really don't have any excuse except that I've been focused on working in a new media other than paint. Like most of we creative types, I get an itch to explore things less familiar or safe and take a chance on getting frustrated or even down right falling on my face. I've done that a few times as you'll see in the following photos with a media I've always been curious about, clay. I like the correlation between sculpting and drawing and how they both make one stretch their ability to think in 3D. I've always liked the unpredictability of clay and the way it kind of does it's own thing and one has to adapt and grow your original intent to fit what the clay wants to do. I've learned much since the beginning of the year and would like to show you what I've come up with, so on with the show!





A pair of "Love Birds" which are more sculptural in form and something I was very happy with at first. The glaze is actually a darker blue and should be more matt than glossy. Unless one looks very closely it appears to be black. I'll be doing more of these as time goes on as I feel they could be a popular theme.




This is a simple ball shaped bowl with the addition of a Mermaid. I'll be doing a few pieces along this line as I'm seeking a gallery in a coastal area. I also just like the mythology behind mermaids and being an ex-sea going sole, they hold a fascination for me.




This is a simple tower design with a mermaid wrapped around it. It came out well and it has a really good feeling to me. If I were being critical of my recent work in clay, it would be that I'm not fluid enough with it and tend to over clean and detail my pieces. This piece though has a certain immediacy to it that I feel is more what I'm hoping to incorporate in my work.



This little effort is about 12 inches tall and is a simple ball shape with a tower rising from it. I've added Koi and Lilly Pads as well as a texture reminiscent of water to the surface. This is a fairly standard classic form but with the decorative elements added it takes it to a level that reminds me of pieces created in the Art Nouveau or Arts and Crafts style of the late 1800 and early 1900's.




This enchanting little bowl ( 14" wide and 10" tall) was an idea I came up with and was pleased with the conceptual aspects of the form and the way I engineered it. Unfortunately, she has her problems and the piece came out less than perfect (Ha)! She does have her charms though and I feel the proportions of the Mermaid to the open bowl area is very pleasing. The shape is a little rough though and I wanted to try her at a larger scale. I'm trying to push my ability to work with this material into larger pieces as you will see.





This is the larger attempt, about 20" long, 16" tall and 14" wide. The engineering aspects of this piece were more successful in ways but the aesthetics are not quite as pleasing to me as the first piece. I will be trying this again as I wish to perfect the concept and form into something unique in my work. The size and scale of this piece really pushed the limits for me at this time but I'm sure I'll try an even larger piece.



Again, along the mermaid theme, I've tried a very vertical form at a large scale. The piece is about 22" tall. I was very happy with the matt glaze I applied to most of the piece over the brown clay. The flesh areas are a bit darker than I would have originally hoped for. Color with this material is a whole other exploration, so I think I'll try and keep it simple for a while till I can experiment with it a bit more.



This little spring goddess is one of the most difficult challenges I've taken on to date. I love the fluid motion she has as well as the sense of joy and abandon. I envision a larger piece incorporating 8 to 10 of these figures. It's just an idea at this stage.




This was a piece I came up with on a whim, incorporating a little nude study into a functional piece which serves as a watercolor palette. I was pleasantly surprised at how well she came together! It will inspire me to work with watercolor more often I'm sure.