Sculpture, 2024

“The Sleeper”
Fired clay and folded steel
Approximately 20” x 10” x 10”
2024

The figure at the top of this sculpture is from a group of 12 small figures I created as studies for a grand vision of 12 large figures arranged in a circle and each struggling to fall asleep.

Here he is perched on top of a red steel box with a door. The box resembles a dog house but because of its height and flat roof I’m hoping it also suggests a tomb or some kind of temple or more broadly, a sacred space … perhaps even the unconscious state of sleep the figure is struggling to fall into.

This piece is one of those private breakthrough moments that creative people hope for. After I had the figure fired I spray painted it with a combination of gloss and flat black and gray paint. Then, in order to photograph it I placed it on a box I had found and thought might make a good pedestal someday. As soon as I set the figure on the box I knew I had discovered something important. The pedestal now became a whole new way to complicate and deepen the meaning of the figure in and of itself as well as its relationship to the “real world” around it.

Frames and pedestals are like temples for art, they define the space within or on top as “different” or sacred in some way.

The key to this breakthrough is the “door” and the aesthetic differences between the box and the pedestal that is part of the figure … it’s straight lines and otherness. The whole thing can open up new questions and associations.

Now I can make pedestals with doors of different shapes and sizes, with windows, with something seen or unseen inside them. Bigger and smaller than the figure on top etc. The sides could even have paintings on them. The possibilities are endless. Each variation adding meaning and depth to the figural arrangement.

Before closing I have to comment on the reference I made to a dog house. A long time ago people used to say that a husband was relegated to sleeping in the dog house if he was bad or unkind to his partner. In any case, the implication was that it was a place to sleep. And by further implication … only to sleep. One didn’t dine in the dog house. Or study there. Or anything other than sleep, alone … or with the dog.

Well, I prefer to think of the box under the figure as something more noble than a dog house. But I do like the fact that even this low brow reference still works to complicate and deepen the work in interesting ways.

Why is falling asleep such a confounding part of contemporary life?

This piece doesn’t begin to answer that or to help one fall asleep. What it does do, hopefully, is help us feel the grandeur and depth of the human condition … even this pernicious predicament that most of us find ourselves in each night.

“Woman Bust from a Dream”
Fired clay
Approximately 15” x 15” x15”
2024

I don’t usually make art based on something I saw in a dream. But that is what this is. In the dream I was chatting with someone in a library. And on the desk near us was a bust of a woman that looked like this except that it was painted gray. I am adding this piece to the site in its unfired condition. Once it’s fired, I will paint it gray and rephotograph it.

While I was creating this piece it suggested going in various directions the way pieces often do. In this case, I stuck to the vision in the dream even though I don’t particularly like it. I have created thousands of works of art and with few exceptions I work on them until they satisfy some complex and often subtle sense of completion or “just right” quality. Sometimes that sense is a masterpiece. More often it feels pretty good. In this case it doesn’t matter. What mattered is how much it looks like what I saw in the dream and other than the color, which was distinct, it is a very good match. And of course I will paint it once it’s fired.

“Kneeling Figure”
Fired clay and sparky paint
10” x 8” x8”
2024

This is another small figure study. It reminds me of something Michelangelo is reported to have said: that a good sculpture could roll down a hill without anything breaking off. What I think he meant is that he favored compact compositions. And, I suppose, so do I.

I’m also having fun doing something that would probably make Michelangelo cringe. I’m having fun playing with the kinds of finish on the fired clay and how they are photographed.

This is just painted with glossy black spray paint that I got from a hardware store. And I photographed it with my IPhone. But the effect is captivating and I think elevates this tiny piece into something more impactful than it would be otherwise.

“Figure Study”
10”x 10” x 10”
Fired clay and spray paint
2024

“Seated Figure”
Clay
10” x 10” x 10”
2024

This is a powerful little piece. And the photo is it’s own work of art. I deliberately left a triangle of dark under the table to echo the angle of the leg. The dark shadow under the figure connects it to the background and almost becomes another figure in itself. I might do some drawings to explore this idea and add them here. Stand by.

“Seated Woman”
Fired clay, spray paint, epoxy, limestone and Douglas fir
30” x 10” x 10”
2024

The plinth and the pedestal are part of the art here. The figure might stand alone or work well on another plinth, but I definitely created this as a piece that includes the wood and stone base. I wanted to create a piece that has the appeal of a well balanced abstract sculpture along with the impact of a figurative piece.

I may even try assembling these pieces without the figure being on top. Here, I put the figure on top in the traditional way. But in the next piece it may end up on the side, de emphasizing the “pedestal” role of the non figurative pieces.

“Large Sleeper”
Fired ceramic
50” x 30” x 30”
2024

This is a large study for an even larger piece. Unfortunately it was fired before it was finished due to my leaving unclear directions for the shop where I made it in Thailand. Nevertheless, I was able to work out a lot of the concerns I had about the arrangement of the figure most especially the hands and feet. What I would have changed significantly before firing is the position of the head and expression on the face.

I also had planned to sand and smooth out large parts of the torso before firing but was able to do it afterwards. It just required more effort.

This is one of what will ideally be 12 large figures struggling to sleep.

This figure is about half the intended size.

“Female Torso”
Mango wood
36” x 15” x 15”
2024

I carved this from a log that was on the pile of wood used to fire the kilns at the ceramic factory where I spent some time making art in the summer of 2024. The log already looked like a sculpture to me so it really didn’t take a lot of imagination to create. I decided to leave some of the natural elements of the log in the finished piece. I also left some of the rough cuts of the chainsaw to add texture and possibly suggest hair. I also left the knots and depressions that add both visual texture but give the piece a conceptual dimension. Furthermore, to complete a realistic torso I would have had to severely reduce the scale and sacrifice all the unique qualities of this piece of wood.

“Seated Male Torso”
Fired ceramic
20” x 12” x 12”
2024

Scaling up. This piece is about twice as big as many of the little Bozetta that I have been making at my shop in Seattle. But making something bigger is more complicated than just its size. Once a piece gets this big it can no longer be solid. If the clay is too thick it won’t fire which means it won’t turn into ceramic. And if it’s going to be hollow that means it needs to be built up slowly from the bottom allowing the clay to set up for a day or so before adding more weight than the clay underneath can bear. And that means one can not change the position of the figure which somewhat defeats the purpose of working in clay in the first place.

The challenge is 2 fold. First, there is the simple engineering of it. The piece must not collapse on itself. The second challenge is to let the piece have energy and spontaneity both in its forms and its surface texture. These problems are sometimes at cross purposes.

“Hand and Foot”
Fired clay
Approximately 20” x 15” x 15”
2024

This little ensemble was intended as a study. It was a chance for me to study how the hand and foot would look when engaged with each other and with the benefit of a live model. The result is arguably a work of art and I have displayed and photographed it as such.

“Feet Studies”
Fired clay
Approximately 20” x 10” x 10”
2024

These were originally intended as “studies.” But they can be seen as works of art too. And they were not intended as a pair. They were modeled from life from the same model, Crystal. But they were done weeks apart. And the first one was already in the kiln when I created the second one. So the scale is slightly different.

The point of the exercise was to familiarize myself with the anatomy of feet while working with the benefit of a model so that I could do this without a model.

There is another twist to these pieces. For centuries, artists learned how to draw by making charcoal drawings of plaster casts of fragments of Ancient Greek statues. Even as late as the 1890’s the 14 year old Picasso would prove his unique capabilities by making highly skilled drawings of plaster casts. This practice would be dropped from art academies thanks in large part to the rise of modernism and art’s departure from representing the optical world as well as any respect or reverence for art of the past.

Finally, well into the 21st century figural arts have made a comeback. Perhaps a reverence and respect for art of the past as well as past techniques for learning how to draw will resurface a bit.

Perhaps I flatter myself that young artists of future generations will learn to draw by looking at these feet. But they have certainly helped me understand how to create feet in the muddy sweltering heat of my studio in Thailand where I would not dare ask a model to pose. The mosquitoes alone would be a deal breaker. No need … these feet are seared into my memory.

“Another Foot”
Ceramic
15” x 8” x 8”
2024

This was created in my little niche of a working space at the ceramic factory in BanPong, a small town outside of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. It was a kind of “warm up” piece to get familiar with the clay and tools there. As you can see in the photo the clay has a lot of grog and sand making it a very textured piece. It is also less dense than the clay I am accustomed to and fires more like bricks than ceramic pottery.
This is neither goor nor bad … just a characteristic to get used to and make use of.

“2 Feet”
Clay
16” x 12” x 12”
2024

More feet. This time I wanted to create 2 feet together. I wanted to do it quickly as well. The speed would reveal my confidence of the forms but more importantly impart energy and visual texture into the piece. At least, that was my idea. You be the judge. Can you feel the weight of the invisible figure baring down on these feet…..causing them to bend and twist and even squash down into each other a bit?

The photo of this piece is also worth commenting on. Obviously I didn’t set it up in the traditional way to illuminate background noise and distraction. But I did frame the shot to further the impact of energy and balance even in a deliberate unfinished look. I used an editing feature to deepen the shadows.

“Feet Studies”
Fired clay
Various sizes life size and larger.
2024

This foot was created with the help of a live model. My goal was to practice making feet as fast as I could to really sere in my knowledge of the feet so that I could create them without a model.

This effort paid off. Shortly after doing this, I began making sculptures at a ceramic factory in the mountains of northern Thailand. It’s simply not possible to have a model there and speed is of the essence. I was able to make life size figures with fully developed feet without a model. Even when I had to make the figures hollow and anticipate shape and direction into space without the benefit of the plasticity of the clay before it hardens.

Perhaps someone besides me will enjoy these as works of art in and of themselves. I find them fascinating. And even though they are quite realistic they don’t appear macabre to me … like tropes for a Halloween party. In fact, it never occurred to me to see them this way until writing this citation. Perhaps I should try painting one that way or laying one down and slumping it before the clay hardens. I would be curious to see if the qualities that make these pieces look dignified are diminished by these effects or become something more emotionally charged.

“Wet Foot”
Clay
12” x12” x12”
2024

This is the raw beginning of a study of a foot. The clay is very squishy and wet. And it barely stands up on its own. Perhaps it’s interesting to see it at this stage.

“A Study”
Ceramic
12” x 20” x 8”
2024

The color of this piece is the result of the clay body bisque firing brick red in a kiln that is wood fired. The ash of the fire blackens the clay where it settles. How it works out on a given piece is largely left to chance. In this case it was fortuitous.

“From Mud”
Ceramic
12” x 12 x 12”
2024

In sculpture there are 3 basic ways sculptures are made: carving which refers to the removal of material, modeling which refers to the addition of material and assembly which refers to putting things together.

Well, I may have inadvertently created a 4th method which is basically squeezing.

This piece and others like it were made in northern Thailand at a ceramics factory. The clay is soft and relatively light and full of uneven grog. It is essentially dirt. And with the addition of water is essentially mud. In other words, it’s the perfect material for making small figure studies that evolve quickly, are incredibly plastic and express the idea of form emerging from formlessness.

The best of these figures appear to be hung in the balance between a figure and just a pile of dirt. And between struggle and effortlessness.

“Dreamer”
Study … work in progress
Unfired clay
40” x 25” x 25”
2024

This piece will be fired eventually. And then it will be placed on a plinth that will have an opening and inside the opening will be a smaller sculpture. The opening will suggest a temple or shrine which further implies that what is inside is sacred. I just know that this figure is meant to be dreaming.

“Diarrhea”
Ceramic
14” x 14” x14”
2024

I decided to call this “Diarrhea” because I created it while sitting on the toilet one night with a terrible case of food poisoning. After sitting there waiting for the next round of voiding my loins I decided I might as well make use of the time. Right next to my toilet is a sink that hangs from the wall. Well, I spent a great deal of time hanging from the sink. This required a bit of a twist in my torso which drove my right leg outward. It didn’t take much to envision this pose and of course I left out the sink.

“Hand”
Ceramic
12” x 6” x6”
2024

Some things just don’t photograph well.  This piece is more realistic than is conveyed in both of these photographs.   Here, it looks little more than a clod of dirt.  

I have often wondered why some people look better or worse in photographs. One reason is that the camera sees with one eye rather than two.  But why does that apply to some people and not others or some sculptures and not others?   I suppose it comes down to just very subtle nuances of curves and hollows.  For example, in this photo you can not see the tip of the thumb.  For some reason it curves just out of sight of the camera’s one eye.  But the thumb tip is digging into the base and conveys some of the drama of the piece.  There are also little bumps and irregularities that pop in the photograph and distract your perception of the piece.  Where as when you see the actual piece those small irregularities add character but don’t distract from the form.   

“Sleeper”
Fired clay
24” x 15” x 12”
2024

“Sleeper”
Fired clay
12” x 6” x 8”
2024

This is another study for a larger piece exploring the power of the figure. It was fired in a wood fired kiln in northern Thailand. And in this photo it is just laying on the side of the kiln after being removed. At some point I will photograph it in more ideal conditions. But I was so excited by the unexpected patina I decided to feature it on the website right away.

This piece explores the idea of people struggling to fall asleep. That struggle is expressed in the shape and pose of the figure. The missing body parts add an emotional intensity to the piece but are more a result of my dislike of making small things. I also feel that small hands and feet and even small heads and faces diminish the power of the torso that is still evident at this small scale.

“Ode to Meditation”
5’ x 2’ x 2’
Fired clay
2024

Somewhere along the way I got the idea of making clay sculptures at a ceramic factory in Thailand. While visiting the country in 2023 I noticed the number of beautiful ceramic pots in front of hotels and restaurants and even people’s homes. At some point I went to the world heritage site called Baan Chian in northern Thailand where archeologists have found some of humanity’s oldest ceramic creations.

After asking around I was taken to a ceramic factory in a small mountain village outside the northern city of Chiang Mai. The owner’s name is Mr. Chan and he was visibly delighted at the idea of a foreign artist coming to his ceramic pot factory to make sculpture. He showed me around their roadside facility which was overflowing with huge pots of various sizes and shapes but all with a characteristic rustic yet elegant finish.

But then Mr. Chan asked me if a could drive a scooter. I could, of course, so I jumped on the scooter he offered me and we road up a dirt road a few kilometers into the mountain. Suddenly the steep road leveled off and a clearing appeared and there were even more pots stacked and arranged all around a large shed. We had arrived at the actual factory. There are 2 large wood fired clay kilns and 2 large work areas under roof where several people were busy hand packing the large pot molds with clay, stoking the fire and scrubbing down enormous pots recently removed from firing.

Mr. Chan was excited to show me the large head shaped pots with cartoon like faces and other more arty things they were working on. He invited me to pick up the clay and while waving his arms around asked me if this was enough work space. He cautioned me that there was no electricity up here on the mountain and so work was only during daylight.

The clay was smooth and sticky and they made an old Toyota pickup truck’s worth of clay everyday. I could use as much as I wanted. And I could fire pieces up to 7’ tall.

It was perfect. I went home to America and immediately began planning my trip back to Mr. Chan’s pottery factory. It took until May to get my affairs in order but I finally returned in the middle of a heat wave. Temperatures were over 100 degrees. But that didn’t stop me.

The first day I was already making sculptures and learning about the clay. My priority was to make life size figures with a gestural freedom like the dozens of small table sculpture figure studies I have been making in my studio for the last 3 years.

Well, it didn’t take long to realize that while the clay behaved the way I wanted in terms of gesture and motion, it inclined to collapse under its own weight since the pieces were large and needed to be fired. Clay that is more than 2” thick will not fire.

This is my first large piece and it required that I support it with pipes and rebar until it dried enough to support itself. This process slowed down the creative process considerably making it more like a more typical creation….made from carefully applied additions and deletions as opposed to a gestural sweep.

Nevertheless, it came together and even held together when the pipes and rebar were removed in preparation for firing. And to my surprise, did not break in the firing process. What I did not anticipate was how interesting the results would be to the surface of the piece. The clay body itself fires very red. But wherever ash settles, the result is more rustic and irregular. The affect animates the surface the way I had hoped the gesture would.

This photo was taken and sent to me by one of the employees at the factory. No special arrangements were made to photograph it. It was simply laid on the side of the kiln to show me that in fact the firing was done and the piece survived.

“Portrait of a woman”
Fired ceramic
20” x 15” x 15”
2024

No one sat for this portrait. And I had no particular reason to do it. I am curious to see what kinds of expression can come from different clay and from different approaches to making a portrait. I treated this one from the beginning as a sketch. By that I mean I didn’t intend to bring it to a high level of finish. I wanted the gesture of this loose frothy clay to communicate the way paint and brush strokes do in a painting like Rembrandt as opposed to a painting by David.

The clay fired a blackish gray due to the wood used to fire the kiln. However, when lightly sanded it gets white giving the piece an almost mask look.

“Woman”
Ceramic
20” x 10” x 10”
2024

This piece broke apart in the kiln. And the result is a better piece. The raw edges of the breaks add emotional intensity to a piece that clearly was not going to achieve its potential through realism.

I photographed it here just leaning against a wall. At some point I may mount it horizontally on a post in turn mounted to a cube. The counterpoint of a clean “museum quality” cube may further accentuate its raw earthy qualities.