bicycle logic vessels

Five vessels, approx. 3” x 3” x 2” each.

Inspired by forms of ritual objects from the deep past, I build my own vessels: containers for doubt and confusion and faith. The tools I use are modern, but the process of layering enamel on metal is the same as it has been for centuries. I remember the work of artists of the distant past, as I make art for an imagined future.

The vessels are made of opaque cloisonné enamel on electroformed copper. This process allows me to wrap imagery around complex forms, resulting in objects that seem both ancient and modern.

Funded by a Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Artists to Work grant.

cosmic things

I imagine these little creatures as otherworldly beings. They lack features, but we can try to interpret some of who they are through their gestures. They are blue-black, the color of deep space, with markings on their backs reminiscent of moons and stars.

Each Cosmic Thing is around 2 inches long, and appears in different landscape (space-scape?): a poured pewter spiral galaxy (M51), a deep blue-black field of star/moons (Incognito), and a snowy under-fired vitreous enamel hill (Promontory).

Lidded boxes

Cloisonné on copper with silver elements.
Each box contains a surprise detail inside its lid.

To create the cloisonné, I form fine ribbons of silver wire into the shapes, and bend them to fit the curved surface. They are glued onto the vessel, and fire them in a kiln. I apply and fire many layers of enamel, and then stone the surface smooth.

Creature vessels

Some of my vessels seem to have animal qualities, as though they are attempting to become living beings.

Blending multiple colors of opaque vitreous enamel creates a lively, variegated surface.

Vessels, Small and Tiny

From one to three inches high, these vessels feature some recurring visual themes in my work: eyes, Rorschach tests, the night sky, random walk patterns, constellations, fantastical animals, and figure-ground reversals.

They are expressions of explorations of faith, perception, art, and wonder.

I hand-grind my work to create the final surface. The time-intensive process results in a velvety surface that feels good in the hand. The glowy-matte surface also sets off the wirework, making the silver lines flash in the light.

capybara carries a vision

Poplar, cherry, copper, silver, brass, vitreous enamel
16” x 7”x 10”

The creature peers up into the sky he carries above his head, looking into a collection of personal constellations.

The dome is unusually large for a cloisonné object, and pairing wood and enamel opened ideas for new sculptures. This is the first in a series of animal-form pieces integrating enamel with other materials. The pieces incorporate echoes of wooden toys, religious relics, mythological creatures, and references to treasured works of art and literature.

The constellations are allusions to elements in the novel The Master and Margarita, a personal creative touchstone. The book— inventive, ambitious, and both deeply personal and connected to other great artworks—was written in Stalinist USSR with no hope of finding an audience. The faith Bulgakov showed in writing his masterpiece—that works of art are part of a long conversation between cultures over millennia—is at the core of my personal work.

dreamer

Vitreous enamel cloisonné on copper with silver, brass, velvet, MDF, paint 21”x19”x1”

The viewer’s eye is drawn to a shimmery planet inhabited by a tiny creature gazing up into the stars. The odd-shaped world is formed with transparent enamels over bubbled-silver foil and granulation, evoking mini volcanoes, stones, and canyons. The planet hovers in front of a dark velvet sky, with silver stars floating above.