In My Dreams I Can Fly
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"In My Dreams I Can Fly"
Fired Clay with Steel
Private Collection: Austin, TX
This sculpture is from a body of work that evolved from the concept of Surfacing. Certainly in the conversation around fired clay, we talk about surface a lot - texture, color, technique. In that thought path, I have been exploring new ways of finishing work - words combined with painted surfaces and relief/textural embellishments, but also honoring the tradition of fired clay itself by leaving some surfaces, such as with this sculpture, as just simply the beauty of the clay.
Considering "Surfacing" as a conceptual theme, I have found in my life that I tend to wander down a new path, losing track of time and place for a while, then popping up somewhere down the road, often surprised how I came to be there. This is the moment of surfacing for me, a realization and acknowledgement of the journey.
Surfacing as a clay tradition relates deeply to the marks we make- as unique and distinct as our personalities. In this work, I consider not only the marks I make in the clay, but also the marks the world makes on us- how our experiences in the world color who we become and what we do.
Combining fired clay with steel components opens up new opportunities for exploring the interaction of clay surfaces with those that can be created with metal. It also allows me to consider ways that sculpture might be integrated into environments, other than by using the standard pedestal. Steel also has the advantage of being able to help create the illusion of lightness in a moderately heavy sculpture.
As with many people, in my dreams I can fly. I am thinking not only about sleeping dreams, but also daydreams and life dreams, wherein we allow our minds to drift through all the many possibilities of things we might do. I wanted her to be sitting on a bridge of sorts to represent the connection between our dreams and the realities we create.
She has a very soft relief pattern swirling across her body. The floral forms represent the growth of our souls when we follow our dreams.
Within the relief patterns is a subtle script that describes dreams I've had as well as dreams I have.
Considering "Surfacing" as a conceptual theme, I have found in my life that I tend to wander down a new path, losing track of time and place for a while, then popping up somewhere down the road, often surprised how I came to be there. This is the moment of surfacing for me, a realization and acknowledgement of the journey.
Surfacing as a clay tradition relates deeply to the marks we make- as unique and distinct as our personalities. In this work, I consider not only the marks I make in the clay, but also the marks the world makes on us- how our experiences in the world color who we become and what we do.
Combining fired clay with steel components opens up new opportunities for exploring the interaction of clay surfaces with those that can be created with metal. It also allows me to consider ways that sculpture might be integrated into environments, other than by using the standard pedestal. Steel also has the advantage of being able to help create the illusion of lightness in a moderately heavy sculpture.
As with many people, in my dreams I can fly. I am thinking not only about sleeping dreams, but also daydreams and life dreams, wherein we allow our minds to drift through all the many possibilities of things we might do. I wanted her to be sitting on a bridge of sorts to represent the connection between our dreams and the realities we create.
She has a very soft relief pattern swirling across her body. The floral forms represent the growth of our souls when we follow our dreams.
Within the relief patterns is a subtle script that describes dreams I've had as well as dreams I have.
