Dawn paints the face of “Tina”, a multi-media sculpture
Reality is a game of perception, more or less determined by what one’s attentional, cultural and experiential filters choose and present from the continual chaos. I can, however, question that reality if I take the time to shift my mind’s gaze and ask for a different perspective. Sculpting with clay brings a fresh set of details to my attention. My thoughts slow, absorbing tactile data and holding it up to the three dimensional form in my mind’s eye. My hands push, prod, squeeze and smooth as they figure out what I’m trying to see and how to make it stand. All the information I pull from the materials, from looking and seeing, from imagining a different reality assembles, and I have the pleasure of being surprised by what emerges.
“It’s very gratifying to receive a text from a friend or colleague who has seen my work on display at an exhibition or gallery”
featured sculpture
MALWARE 2013 (TROJAN HORSE)
Dawn applying the mane to her sculpture
Why is it necessary to craft an outside that hides our inside, and how do we negotiate amongst the facades of our loved ones? As an illustrator and storyteller, I have spent my life exploring camouflage, transformation and recognition with paint and language, imagery and words. Ceramics allows me to bring a third dimension to my scrutiny of intimate interiors, and within my Trojan horse I have searched for connection—perhaps reconciliation—between an idealized exterior and the murk and mayhem within.
This was my first large-scale piece using clay, terra sigillata, twine, straw, it was 48”X38”X23” and weighed nearly 50lbs. This piece was first on display at the Northern Clay Center for Minnesota Nice, and also at a show called: "Menagerie: Animals in Art’, an Exhibition at Minnetonka Center for the Arts
