Ceramic Sculpture

My Mom once told me to dig to China in our backyard. With enthusiasm I must have worked for hours with the soil, its bugs and interesting rock shapes of different colours and texture. Our family sandbox also provided a myriad of opportunity to make sculptures, little villages, animal homes, treasures caves and swimming pools for guinea pigs. Now many years later I enjoy creating anything out of clay as well as laying brick walkways, designing a new pizza oven, re-configuring gardens, trimming trees and finding organic artifacts in a little forest. I was fortunate to have grown up in such a lively, tactile environment that nurtured my passion for clay.

My ceramic work has included bas-relief, large murals indoor tile work and large murals (in collaboration with Santo Mignosa), hand-built sculpture, bowls, portraiture, anatomical studies, candle-houses, Medieval-like goblets (gifts for friends on my 50th) and wheel-throwing.

Small 3D sketches of simplified dog forms have led to a new series of larger sculptures of canines with a member of a different species. (I have always enjoyed making an art piece that reflects an individual’s personality. On this note I created a series of small dogs for a few teachers whose work with students is exemplary. It was my way of honouring their work and my appreciation for its impact on my own teaching.)

My bird sculptures are primarily monolithic and stem from an interest in archeology, genetic mutation and symbology. I live with birds, dogs, horses, cats and members of the wild who provide an infinite supply of behaviours, spiritual wisdom and language for me to learn. Their personalities are also infused with daily antics of comedy that put many other aspects of life into perspective. I am hoping that my present practice of investigating new clay bodies will support future descriptions of these fascinating observations.

Ceramic Sculpture Gallery