Molded Earth Statement

The exhibit “Molded Earth” represents the diversity within the ceramic field today.  It is with such expressions based on this theme, articulated sometimes literally and more often times not, that one begins to appreciate the complex nature of clay.  The form itself can be as straight forward  as  “Winter Cube” with its textured surfacing; as organic as nature’s sensual  formations in “Buds” and “Anatis Erubesco”; as minimalist as the black and white “Entrada” ;  as architectural as  the spiraling  “Intrados”  with its interior volume or as figurative as the pieces in “Checkerboard” and “Gardening Woman” .  The decorative elements throughout the exhibit relate narratives which  engage the viewer: how does one interpret   the faceless  alchemist  in “In Our Own Image”; what is man hiding or hiding from in “Hidden III”; and what is the significance of suspended growth in “Stasis”?  Sometimes, a piece fools our eyes into believing that the depiction of an object is real: note, that in “Polka Dots and Ribbon I ”,  the beautifully painted tiles which depict flowers and water are placed together to resemble a hanging kimono.

The element of repetition of form, which often times translates into large scale formations, can also be a powerful conveyor of message: note the tubular succession of earthly elements in “Stopper Growth” as well as the arms and branches of a river depicted in the seven part installation piece “Brazos III”.  Clay’s expressive potential is alive and well in “Molded Earth” whether it is through the various approaches to the making of the work or the ideas generated.  According to noted ceramicist and author Edmund de Waal, such “breath of difference is a marker for art”. 

Judy Weisman
November 27, 2007