Large Display Plate, detail of central medallion. Majolica with oxide washes and overglaze image. 18”d. 2018. In the iconic focus of the Sistine Chapel, Michaelangelo captures the moment when the spark of life is transmitted to Adam from the hand of God. The evolution of man from inanimate to sentient being is shown in such an intimate, delicate way. God gives man self awareness, soul and free will.
Today we are being given new technologies that promise and threaten to alter the course and velocity of our evolution once again. Will these new technologies engender self-awareness, or cause self-destruction? Here the torch of technology is passed to man in the form of the ubiquitous iPhone. . .
Earthenware with majolica and oxide painting, 18'“ x 5”, 2018. Tool making - a behavioral adaptation exploited by humans - enabled rapid biological and social evolution. The velocity with which digital tools and technologies have proliferated should give us pause to consider the effects on our continuing biological and social evolution. Not that we will of course! The technologies are too irresistible (and probably inevitable).
BigBang series, Serving Bowl, 15”d, majolica with oxide washes and photo decals, 2018. In this latest series of platters and bowls I’m incorporating digitally created imagery into the glazed surface. I’m intrigued by the seemingly impossible theory of the origin of the universe: that our universe began as an infinitesimally small singularity, violently expanded, continues to expand, and will eventually stop expanding only to reverse its entropy, collapsing back into a singularity, perhaps in an endless cycle. This cosmic cycle is the inspiration for the BigBang series. The universe in a bowl.
Sample decal sheet of nuclear images. XPressions Ceramic Decals in Atlanta have been printing my designs for years. I created the images in Adobe Illustrator, which allowed me to play with variations in size, color, gradients etc.
Footed Bowl, Hand painted majolica with overglaze decal image, 12” x 5”, 2018. In this series I’m using the atomic nucleus as the focal image in the central medallion. In traditional renaissance majolica the central image was often painted with illustrations from Ovid’s Metamorphoses or other symbols from the Greek and Roman pantheon. Our understanding of the origins of the universe is more informed today by science but the mystery of what we call the ‘big bang’ still leaves so many unanswered questions.
Large serving plate, 20”d, 2018. Hand built and wheel thrown terra cotta with hand painted oxides on majolica glaze with overglaze decal imagery. The universe expands from the central atomic nucleus.
Majolica with oxide wash brushwork and overglaze photo decals. 14”d, 2018. Nuclear image created in Illustrator, printed as decal transfer, and fired in place at cone 017.
Detail of textured surface, brushed washes, and overglaze atomic nuclear photo decal.
Reverse side showing plate hanger. All the larger serving platters come with the built in hanger. All the majolica pieces are painted fully, front and back.
Urbanware in situ, Majolica dinnerware set commission, 2018
Terra Cotta with majolica glaze, brushed oxides, overglaze photo decals. 16” d, 2018. To achieve a rich glaze surface in earthenware requires layering as low fire glazes just sit on the surface of the underlying clay. The glaze does not fuse into the clay. With stoneware and porcelain, glazes and clays literally fuse together during firing, resulting in a depth of surface that is not possible with lower temperature firings.
Close up of the central medallion. Terra cotta with majolica glaze, brushed oxide washes, overglaze photo decals. To achieve glaze depth in low fire I work with successive layers of texture and color. Note the transparency of the fired decal; the oxide brushwork shows through!
Hand thrown terra cotta with majolica glaze and hand painted oxide washes of copper, cobalt, vanadium, etc. This series the oxides were brushed onto a amber yellow base. 2018
Hand thrown terra cotta and hand painted oxide washes over a majolica glaze. This series of cups has the big bang nuclear image on the bottom of each cup (see the next image).
Bottom view of the Big Bang Cup series showing variations in the atomic nuclei design as well as the beautiful dark terra cotta clay.