SCULPTURES
Enekpe
28”H x 7”W x 7”D
Terracotta fired to cone 06. Burnished and treated with various stains and glazes. Her headpiece and body contain rusted nail inclusions. Mounted on a concrete base with rusted inclusions.
Enekpe is a female goddess of the Igala poeple of Nigeria. In Igala mythology, Enekpe offered herself as a sacrifice, and allowed herself to be buried alive in order to safe her people who were being defeated in battle.
In this modern interpretation, the figure is representative of the continual selflessness and sacrifice of those that attempt to keep humanity from destroying itself.
Aja
25”H x 10”W x 6”D
original: Terracotta fired to cone 06. Burnished and treated with various stains and glazes. The headpiece is composed of rusted iron artifacts. She rests on a steel framework embedded in a concrete base.
In Yoruba tradition, Aja is a forest goddess that teaches the use of medicinal herbs. She is a healer deity that represents, hope, restoration, and rebirth.
This hope is represented here in the posture and expression of the figure as it gazes upwards. Her womb-like body is breaking through from a metal framework which hints at both the twisted geometry of decaying architectural foundations as well as a crown of thorns. She embodies the hope and rebirth of our descendants from the ruins of our present.
ETALPALLI
20”H x 4”W x 4”D
original: Stoneware fired in a traditional Cambodian wood-fire kiln. The granite base is taken from the end of a drilled core sample and the surface flares slightly at the top.
(limited edition of 5 bronzes with a steel base)
Tlaneci is a Náhuatl term meaning wing which in this case serves to describe the head piece of this figure.
I often wait til the very final stages of sculpting before I decide on the head decoration of a piece. At this stage, I will have a more concrete understanding of the personality and energy emanating from the figure and I look at the process of sculpting the head piece as a moment of self discovery and identification for the figure. The head pieces are pivotal in humanizing the character and giving us a glimpse into their essense.
ARTEMISIA
18”H x 6”W x 9”D
original: Stoneware fired in a traditional Cambodian wood-fire kiln with a steel base.
(limited edition of 5 bronzes with a steel base)
Artemisia is a greek female name derived from the Greek goddess Artemis, associated with hunting, the wilderness and animals. The roots of this name have very ancient origins. From the Persian "arta" which is associated with the great mother of Nature, to goddess associations in Minoan Crete, Mycenaean and Indo-Eiropean cultures; the origins of this goddess can be traced back to Neolithic times.
The posture and face of this figure, exude a strength and grace worthy of the name.
PETRA
16”H x 6”W x 9”D
original: Stoneware fired in a traditional Cambodian wood-fire kiln with a steel base
Petra is a feminine name derived from the Greek petros which means stone. The sculpture draws symbolism from Peter the apostle who was crucified upside down, and was later canonized and venerated as Saint Peter. This female figure is therefore an archetype of the martyr. She represents the countless women that have suffered martyrdom and untold cruelties; their identifies are often nameless and their sacrifices erased from history.
VERITAS
17”H x 6”W x 9”D
original: Stoneware fired in a traditional Cambodian wood-fire kiln with a steel base.
(limited edition of 5 bronzes with a steel base)
Veritas is the name of the Roman goddess of truth. In latin the word is also associated with the virtue of truthfulness. In ancient art, she is depicted both robed and naked holding a mirror (nuda veritas), the naked truth.
LIBERTAS
27”H x 11”W x 11”D
original: Stoneware fired in a traditional Cambodian wood-fire kiln with a steel base and kintsugi treatment.
Libertas is the Roman goddess of liberty. She is an emblem of freedom and reason and is often associated with the liberation of the oppressed. In Rome, she became a symbol of the shift to a republic and of slaves that had found freedom. Her image has inspired numerous works of art; most notably the painting by Eugène Delacroix, La Liberté guidant le peuple (Liberty Leading the People) which commemorates the French Revolution and depicts Libertas leading the people out of their oppression. Half a century later, the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the Statue of Liberty (La Liberté éclairant le monde, Liberty Enlightening the World) which was offered as a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. Since then she has become a global symbol of hope and a beacon of freedom who welcomes all groups displaced by war and seeking shelter, safety, and liberation.
This sculpture borrows from the Greek and Roman vases, which tell their stories through the use of figural ornamentation. Like in Liberty Leading the People, the figure of Libertas rises above the nine painted female warriors at the bottom. The rods carried by two of the figures are emblematic of the rod (vindicta) associated with Libertas and used in Roman ceremonies that granted slaves "freedom by the rod". In this case it is the female warriors themselves that hold the power of liberation.
THUSIA
12”H x 8”W x 4”D
original: Stoneware fired in a traditional Cambodian wood-fire kiln with a steel base.
Thusia is old greek for sacrifice. Here we have a mother earth figure lying lifeless. She is the casualty of our transition from our ancient past in which we lived in balance with nature and worshiped the forces that made our survival possible. Our reverence for all forms of creation was reflected in our equalitarian social structures and our role as co-creators with nature.
The conquest mindset in which we take what we desire by force, reverses our contract with nature as we destroy indiscriminately and devalue all things we once revered. Here, it is the religion of conquest that sacrifices it's own future and offers it's own destruction as tribute for it's beliefs.
ALETHEIA
23”H x 7”W x 7”D
original: Stoneware fired in a traditional Cambodian wood-fire kiln with a concrete base.
Aletheia is truth or disclosure in Greek philosophy. She is the Greek equivalent of the Roman goddess Veritas, but in Greece she is more closely aligned with the concept of unconcealment. Her sincerity is countered by three forces, Dolos the god of trickery, Apate the goddess of deception, and Pseudologoi the gods of lies.
TLANECI
27”H x 16”W x 12”D
original: Terracotta fired to cone 06. Burnished and treated with terra-siggilatta and various stains and specialty glazes.
(limited edition of 5 bronzes)
Tlaneci is a Náhuatl word describing the dawn of a new day or the manifestation of something new.
I found this an appropriate title to usher in one of the pivotal sculptures created for The Children of Light, Water, and Clay series. Tlaneci brings to life one of the central figures in the series.
I am very grateful to my friend and model Kendra for the endless hours of posing and the inspiration for this piece.