FLORA/FAUNA
or just some human sleep — Porcelain, stoneware, glass, epoxy. 25H x 15W x 10D”.
twice as many stars as usual — Porcelain, stoneware, sheep’s wool, cotton roving, epoxy. 24.5H x 19W x 16D”.
Euphorbia — Porcelain, stoneware, epoxy. 16H x 10W x 11D”.
Tectonics — Porcelain, stoneware, epoxy. 16H x 18W x 8D”.
Form I — Stoneware, paint. 16H x 9W x 9D”.
Form II — Stoneware, paint. 19H x 10W x 5.5D”.
Form III — Stoneware, paint. 15H x 7W x 5D”.
Forms appear everywhere in nature, guided by the often unseen properties of circumstance and time. The Southwest is a landscape comprised of form– the sharp angles of a mountain, the soft curve of a river, the complex patterning of growth, the mass of an Aspen stand… These shapes and configurations provide us with a common lexicon through which to understand our surroundings.
In this series, hand-built sculptures explore this language of form through references to symmetry and balance, the irregularity found in growth patterns, and the formations achieved through processes of time. An assemblage of botanical life, sourced from within the Roaring Fork Valley and dipped in porcelain to create individual castings, has been configured to reflect a reimagined version of the local ecology. The recontextualization of a familiar floral landscape challenges our perceptions of natural surroundings and reveals hidden associations within our relationships to the environment.
A mixture of materials, including glass and sheep’s wool, are situated in dialogue with clay and speak to the complexity of our interwoven ecosystems. These sculptures represent my first foray into the exciting realm of mixed media sculpture and reflect my responses to the landscape of Colorado in my first year as a Carbondale resident. They celebrate the possibilities within a common vocabulary of form and seek to capture the intangible qualities of awe that make up the emotional bond of humans to nature.
Made while an Artist in Residence at the Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, Colorado, 2024.
Many thanks to Jacqueline and Dylan Balderson, TJ Ossola, Jan Johnson, Jill Johnson, and Matt Johnson.
For Barry (1952-2024)