What is the collective vision of beauty? If one finds themselves beautiful, in opposition to societal standards, can we accept their vision above ours? The label is on the inside and this figure wears it proudly and infectiously. They define themselves by their own terms. And with this confidence comes a new reality. They have … Continue reading The Inner Beauty
Spirit At The Crossroads
Charcoal plays all sorts of tricks on the eye and mind. Here the figure started much smaller, and yet with each new viewing, it appears closer to you. The scenery is also evolving as one watches it, revealing the figure to be standing at a crossroads, waiting to bargain a deal. There is little in … Continue reading Spirit At The Crossroads
Fading Memories
Ghost or fading photograph? You decide. The dust of time is blowing across this sweet girl of centuries past. Her clothes give us a hint of where and when, but there must be more to her story. Who was she? Who loved her and who did she love? I once heard that when we see … Continue reading Fading Memories
But A Reflection…
A reflection, yes, but of what? Is the subject looking at himself and seeing what the mirror reveals of his soul, or something else? Perhaps he sees in the eyes of his interlocutors what they see of him: a strange, dark, and compelling interest. The image appears blurry until one squints at it and then … Continue reading But A Reflection…
Coiled Bowl
Sometimes the simplest techniques can reveal amazing results... but only when we let go and stop overthinking it. This is stoneware clay, coiled (not my favourite technique), then pressed into a slump mould bowl. I love rustic work, so I left it as crude as I could. It dried slowly over a week or two, … Continue reading Coiled Bowl
Into The Fold
I used a terracotta clay body and wanted to see just how thin I could go. I managed to get it down to about 2mm thick. I had to time it just right, as working it too wet would leave me with tears in the clay, and it wouldn't hold up on its own. Too … Continue reading Into The Fold
Chrysalis Teapot
This started with soft scraps of clay and transformed into a teapot. My amazing daughter was with me in the studio and she added the butterflies. The glaze was a Cone 6 creme that didn't like the stoneware clay body very much. it was painted on, instead of being dipped. I also painted a manganese … Continue reading Chrysalis Teapot
Abstract Ship
Again using scraps of slabs and joining them together into whatever shape they decide. This was done while I was seeing the smokestacks of ships in my imagination. I decided to experiment with a red engobe of my own mixture. It would have been more vibrantly red, had I fired it at Cone 04, instead … Continue reading Abstract Ship
Urban Manitou
He was meant to be an amalgam of Golem and some Japanese forest spirit hiding in the dark corners of my mind. The Manitou, as I understand it is an amazing transformation spirit animal. As this one is at least partly human, I felt the forest spirit had become an urban one. This one is … Continue reading Urban Manitou
Theatrical Madness
All charcoal sticks, almost... only a little blood Conte. Wonderfully messy and fun to do. Doing a reverse perspective drawing isn't new to me, but I've often gotten lost in the process and scrapped it because I overcomplicated it. This little face seemed to loom out of the backstage of a nearly darkened theatre and I … Continue reading Theatrical Madness
The New Renaissance Mindset 