For over thirty years I have enjoyed ceramic sculpting because of the tactile experience, the satisfaction of creating a 3-dimensional object, and the excitement of the unpredictable results of firing clay and glazes.
Many of my ceramic sculptures comment on contemporary American society with a gentle humor, at the same time they convey the affection, anger and pathos felt by all peoples. Other sculptures I create simply because I like to explore using geometric shapes to form abstractions of human forms or to build decorative shapes that are interesting to the eye.
I usually construct my one-of-a-kind sculpture with 1/4 inch thick slabs of clay that I use to build the walls of the hollow form. I do not use armatures to support the form. I design it to support and balance itself.
Some sculptures I slip cast from a plaster mold that I make from my original model. This process allows me to make a limited number of clay castings (usually 4 to 8 copies) of the sculpture.
Whichever of the construction methods used, the clay sculpture must dry for 3 to 4 weeks. Then I paint it with colored slips (mixtures of clay, oxides, and water). It must dry again, then is bisque fired to about 2000 degrees F to harden the clay. After this initial firing I often add and adjust color with more slips, stains or glazes and fire the piece again, sometimes repeating this step several times for certain effects.
Every piece is hand made and unique. Even the sculpture castings I make with my own molds, although they are very similar in shape to begin with, are glazed differently and react differently to the heat in the kiln. It is never possible to make a duplicate of any piece.
Call (408)356-1057 to make an appointment to visit Iguana Galleries or if you have questions. Please leave a message if I can't answer the phone. I'll return your call as soon as possible.