I’m fascinated by things that are beautiful and repulsive at the same time, so when I came upon the work of Carrie Longley I was immediately drawn in. Her ceramic sculptures examine the relationship between art and science.

Adipose obesus

12x12x12inches, ceramic, glaze, steel wire, pig intestine, mixed media 2009

Looking at her work is like a taking a visit to the The Mütter Museum at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a collection of medical monstrosities, preserved brains, livers, and fetuses; dignified and beautiful collections of objects that make you want to look closer and observe and make you  want to turn away at the same time. Similar to works in a museum, each piece is labeled and displayed in cases like those used to display ancient artifacts.

Capillus linus

10x6x6 inches, ceramic, glaze, steel wire, pig intestine, mixed media 2009

Longley says: "My intention as an artist is to create a playful shifting back and forth between our traditional ideas of a scientific specimen and art object.

I utilize the malleable characteristics of clay to create small-scale sculptures, which resemble preserved scientific specimens. The forms display warty surfaces, soft, fleshy folds and puckered openings, suggestive of organic growth. I use clay primarily for its material and technical possibilities, and its chameleon-like ability to mimic organic form and surfaces. The aesthetic characteristics of glaze allow me to achieve a surface depth similar to a membrane or skin of an organism."

Porcarius cauda

10x6x6 inches, ceramic, glaze, steel wire, pig intestine, mixed media 2009

Flip Flopping!

Gerry Wedd Newcastle thong (2008) 6.5 x 27.8 x 11.5 cm Glazed porcelain

I dream of dresses made of Porcelain...

Sculpural hand-built ceramic “clothing” in a major focus of the work or Fiona Wong, an artist from Hong Kong.  Exploring the link between traditional and contemorary Chines culture through her work, Fiona uses texture, color and sometimes different clays to richly convey everyday life through the clothing.  Dresses, bags and shoes are all rendered in clay or porcelain in a highly detailed manner which points the observer to the cultural origins of the objects.  Her work is highly sought after for collections in Hong Kong and internationally. 

BAG NO.5 Terracotta, 27x14x4cm, 2001

Mermaid (2007) von Fiona Wong Lei-ching

Photo by düsselboy 

Ethereal Porcelain Dress

I love this ethereal porcelain sculpture!  

Dressing up in Porcelain

Intricate handmade porcelain butterflies sewn on to a dress are a pretty sight for spring...

An amazing piece by Caroline Cheng on display at NCECA. 

 There are hundreds of intricate handmade porcelain butterflies sewn on to a Chinese dress.

Ms. Cheng says:  "From afar, people can look at China and see a country with people almost looking the same. But if you look closely, it has many complex personalities, many different cultures mixed into one large pot.

The Chinese words consist of many strokes. Each stroke by itself means nothing, but when they are put together they make up words. The Chinese uses this kind of method of putting things together in daily life also. The art of ceramic making is unique in the world; specialized skill workers put together and make one piece of fine work.

Chinese believe in looking at the positive aspects of life and not dwell on the negative. Auspicious symbols are placed in homes to bring good luck and happiness. They use symbols such as bats, deer and peaches because these words sound like fortune, prosperity and longevity.

I have called my butterfly outfits “Prosperity” also because “Clothing服” and “Prosperity福” are pronounced the same way “fu”. These outfits from afar look just like a dress, but when you look closely at the butterflies they are all unique and different. This is a China!"

Beautiful!

Shoes, Part 3

BLOCKED 

Inge Roberts

PORCELAIN, CONE 10, OXIDATION

FLATS 

Inge Roberts

PORCELAIN, CONE 10, OXIDATION

Shoes seen at NCECA in Seattle

Glorious (Ceramic) Shoes, Part 2

Feet of Clay

Participants in a show Juried Exhibition in Nordstrom’s Downtown Seattle store for NCECA 2012 were asked to create ceramic scuptures in the form of shoes or accessories.  The scultpure had to fit into a standard size shoe box. 

"Feet of Clay references fatal flaws or secrets; unexpected vulnerable points in a hero or admired 
person. There is room for interpretation, but the artist might reveal a secret about the wearer of the shoes or accessories. One does not need to make shoes to be considered for this show, we are more interested in the 
idea of fatal, hidden flaws, “feet of clay”.

Susan Balshor, Nordstrom’s NCECA Juried Invitational, Feet of Clay.

Barbara Hennig "She Was The Wings Beneath His Feet" 

Nordstrom's NCECA Juried Invitational,Feet of Clay. Lowfire terracotta, terrasigillatta

Charan Sacher, ceramic shoes and clutch bag

Shoes by Students of Northwest School 

Glorious (ceramic) shoes!

Ceramic shoes by Fiona Wong

I'd wear these whether they are clay, terracotta, porcelain or stoneware!

I love the texture and the little imitation stitches!

ORANGE MOON SANDAL Terra cotta, 27x 10x 6cm, 2004

Beautifully adorned

BLACK SANDAL WITH SILVER TEETH

Chocolate black clay & silver 

27x 20 x 7cm, 2004

The faux embroidery on these boots is genius!

FOUR PETALS
Chocolate black clay; terra cotta
30 x 22 x 20 cm, 2004

Porcelain Flowers for Spring!

A ceramic treat from National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) in Seattle last month. 

Today’s weather and springy blooms reminded me of these pieces.
The artist is Ying Yeuh Chuang

Ying Yeuh Chuang was born in Taiwan and then moved to Canada. She says "Certain ideas I learned while growing up in Taiwan have stayed with me, while others have been abandoned. In this same way, I am selective about how I adapt to Western philosophies and ways of living, leading me to live a hybrid existence with elements from both these cultures.  This way of thinking has intern influenced my interest in hybridization, leading me to take elements from plants or sea anemones in order to combine and create forms that are symmetrical and asymmetrical.

From hybrid forms inspired by organic material and imagined objects, my work comes together through a hands-on process and evolves into forms completely different from the initial object.

...individual elements, while independent, can also be used like building blocks to create larger units of pattern, which in turn can create even larger patterns exponentially."

Spring...Proms...Pottery?

Porcelain dress-up time

Inevitably the onset of spring brings prom season here.   Watching teenagers on my road head out last night to the yearly ritual of Junior Prom all decked out in fine suits and fancy dresses, I was reminded of some lovely work I saw at NCECA this year.  Ceramic Artist George Rodriguez had a wonderful installation at the Seattle Design Center which featured a fashionable dress - and set me to thinking about those shadows on the wall of the gallery.  A wallflower perhaps?

Dress detail

George Rodriguez In “In Shadow” (wall installation) 2012
 ceramic 120 x 101 x 3 in.

Detail of wall tiles

The Beginning...

Spring is in the air here in the Philadelphia area as proven by the lovely green coating of pollen on my car today! The sneezing and itching may yet inspire a new piece of work but in the meantime I’m working hard on my Wrecking Ball series. 

I was first inspired to do a series based on wrecking balls and other implements of destruction a few years ago while watching a wrecking ball take a big swing at the old sports and concert venue, The Spectrum, in Philly.  I had a lot of anticipation for the first swing.  I had imagined that the ball would hit the building and there would be an enormous shudder on the ground as the forged steel ball hit the old building with an ear-deafening blow.  I pictured a cloud of dust arising and  bricks and chunks of concrete exploding inward as the giant ball accelerated through the wall.

And then....poof...the ball hit the wall and not much of anything exciting happened. My dreams of the first swing knocking out a large part of the wall disintegrated the way I had thought the building would. I began to picture the ball as a big soft pillow instead of a 12,000lb hunk of steel.   Spheres, balls and round shapes were already a part of my art vernacular so it seemed like a tiny leap into making my ceramic scuptures larger and following the wrecking ball to see where I would end up. If you want to follow my journey with me, check back here occacionally for some photos and information about my own work.

In the meantime, I’d like to share some work that inspires me. Let me know what you think.