Moira & Clay
Graceful elements emerge unexpectedly to adorn the inner secret space of bowls. Quirky and surprising forms may wind up crossing the surface of a plate. Tiles become three-dimensional canvases, where sculptural, woodcutting and painterly techniques are often combined on a single tiny surface.
Using the leaf forms that fascinated me as tile motifs, a series of hand-built bowls emerged which incorporated extremely high-relief carved or sprigged motifs on the interior surfaces. New subjects also appeared while exploring how 2-dimensional images could be rendered in 3-dimensional form. Works by Georgia O’Keeffe provided the inspiration—her images were transformed into vessels filled with simple clouds, leaves, flowers, crows... O’Keeffe’s beautiful painting of a clam shell and seaweed compelled me to create more voluptuous renderings of undersea motifs. A visit to Scituate, MA, stimulated new studies of intricately colored and patterned beach stones, while birds’ nests have remained a favorite subject.
My pieces emerge from wet or leather-hard clay that has been incised, cut, molded, added-to or subtracted-from. Coloration—with all its attending challenges and joys—is usually a glaze and under-glaze combination.