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Sculpture is a three-dimensional art form that lives with you every day, stimulating conversation, excitement and new ways of seeing the world. Wherever sculpture is placed, be it in an outdoor garden, in a foyer or niche, or on a mantle or pedestal, it articulates the space around it, enlivening the view and energizing the space that it inhabits. The beauty of a well-made sculpture is preserved through many decades, even generations, particularly with a material like stoneware clay that has a well-established record of durability. Some of the oldest sculptures on earth are made of clay. Consider the Terracotta Army that was buried with the Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huangdi) in 210-209 BC or the Minoan Snake Goddess c. 1600 BC. Today, with a scientific understanding of the essential ingredients for a durable clay body and with careful construction and firing techniques, a fully vitrified, waterproof material can be made by following the guidelines for Outdoor Weather Resistant Ceramics by Cookson and McNally Public Art.
At times throughout history, clay has enjoyed a very respectable stature as a sculpture medium. J.J. Winkelmann in “An Ancient History of Art” calls clay an enduring medium, sighting many examples of clay sculpture in Greek and Etruscan art. Great skill with the medium is evident in the works of the Italian masters Donatello and Ghiberti in the early fifteenth century, a tradition that continued through Michelangelo, becoming an academic requirement with Bernini that continued well into the Late Renaissance with Canova. “These sculptors raised clay, especially fired clay models, to a central status in the creative processs of European art.” according to Bruce Boucher in Earth and Fire; Italian Terrracotta Sculpture from Donatello to Canova. Maria Giulia Barberini says that clay attained great heights as a serious sculpture medium in the fifteenth century with the works of Luca della Robbia.
Clay’s stature as a sculptural medium declined in the nineteenth century but has been on the rise since the late twentieth century with the advent of a worldwide contemporary craft movement that has influenced the Modern Art World. This is evident in the work of many highly respected sculptors working in clay such as Viola Frey, Michael Lucero, Javier Marin and Anthony Caro to name a few.
All sculpting mediums have characteristic qualities that appeal to an individual sculptor much as a favorite instrument appeals to a musician. Clay is as warm and inviting as the earth itself and can only be approached in this quality by wood. It is unique as the most impressionable and spontaneous material. It records every thought, movement, hesitation and confidence of the artist handling it. It is associated with humility, sincerity and humanity. In Genesis, Adam is made from clay. There is no other material better suited for making figurative sculpture. In particular, there is no better material for expressing the human figure in relationship to the landscape, a central concern of my explorations in sculpture.
If you would like to begin a conversation about a location in your home or garden that is in need of a sculpture or if you are considering a commission or if you have questions about the sculptures on this site or elsewhere, please contact me. My contact information, email, telephone and address, is also at the bottom of the page. I’ll be happy to discuss art with you and help you explore some of these questions. Purchases of sculpture can be made online with a credit card using Pay Pal or by check through the mail. I also see visitors at my studio by appointment.
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