My art is unabashedly simple: I make the animals that I love because I love them. Their incredible beauty makes me want to create. I am inspired most by the emotional life, the spirit of the animal, not just the beautiful fur or feathers or form. I want those who see my work to know that while I was here, I loved these creatures.
Fired clay sculpture: a form in space. I use the clay primarily as a building material, adding and manipulating clay mass through pulling, poking, and blending wads, coils and slabs. From the base upwards, the clay slowly grows into a three dimensional sculpture.
My technique is to build hollow, rather than solid forms which must be later hollowed, as I feel this offers the greatest amount of flexibility. After drying, it is subjected to high temperatures in an electric kiln, where glazes and underglazes become permanant color. The finished piece is highly durable and lasting.
Top Right: A Salmon Crested Cockatoo with unglazed porcelain "feathers"
Right: Close up of same. Each "feather" was pinched out of porcelain clay and coaxed into place. It could never be duplicated.
Proud Papa Penquin and Chick: Porcelain cone 6
Right: Fiesty Cockatoo with unglazed porcelain "feathers"
Right: Some new friends for my home. I couldn't take home the Golden Lion Tamerin or the Keelbilled Toucan from the zoo, so this was the next best thing. They are made of porcelain with underglaze decoration. The Tamerin's face is left unglazed and has a realistic matte finish.
Right: Umbrella Cockatoos
Amaco Yellow Underglaze
Clear glaze on Porcelain.
Did you know that cockatoos are highly devoted and mate for life? In the animation of this piece, I feel this humbling and awesome trait.
