A 2008 exhibition of burnished, low fired sculpture at Electrum Studio Gallery in Edmonton.
The foothills to the west of High River, where we lived for 31 years, have always reminded me of giant, prone figures, writhing in ecstatic orgies, their hips, thighs and breasts thrusting up from the flat bed of the prairie.
I also love the a highly burnished finish on clay – it’s so seductive to both hand and eye.
So, when I was choosing a theme for this exhibition, I decided to incorporat both ideas. Because the venue had limited display space, the pieces had to be small, which was less work burnishing.
Everything was hand-built from thin slabs of white earthenware, terracotta or porcelain. I began with fairly figurative forms, but as I worked they became more abstracted. Each piece was laboriously burnished to a smooth, sensuous sheen, which had to be done at just the right moment of drying – when the final shape is established, but before the clay particles at the surface are too set to be compacted.
bluffs, 2004, terracotta, 40 cm long, burnished, unglazed, ∆04
bluffs, 2004, terracotta. This clay, fully oxidized in the firing is a rich, warm orange and burnishes nicely.
prone, 2004, terracotta, 44 cm long, burnished, unglazed, ∆04
prone, 2004. This piece is obviously figurative, echoing somewhat the shape of the foothills.
mother earth, 2004, reduced terracotta, 55 cm long, burnished, unglazed, ∆04
mother earth, 2004. Like a figure rising out of water or a flat piece of land.
knee hill, 2004. I wanted a little warmth to the colour, so I mixed a bit of terracotta in with the white clay.
knee hill, 2004, unglazed white earthenware and terracotta, 25 cm long, highly burnished, ∆04.
hip hill, 2004, terracotta, 33 cm long, burnished, unglazed, ∆04
hip hill, 2004. A figurative piece that verges on abstraction.
hiding, 2004, white earthenware, 25 cm long, highly burnished, unglazed, ∆04
hiding, 2004. White earthenware has fine particles which compress well. This piece has figurative elements.
shoulder, 2004, unglazed terracotta, 39 cm long, burnished, ∆04
shoulder, 2004. This piece is quite abstracted, but it reminds me of a shoulder.
knees, side one, 2004, reduced terracotta, 27 cm wide, partially burnished, unglazed, ∆04. This piece is also about working with two connected elements and making them work together.
knees, 2004, reduced terracotta. Reduction: depriving the kiln’s atmosphere of the oxygen it needs to fully combust the gas, thus leaving a carbon residue in the clay, which in this case turned it a dark green.
divide, 2004, semi-reduced terracotta, 22 cm h, burnished, unglazed, ∆04. I got interested in working with two connected elements, as in knees, and this was one result.
yin yang, 2004, reduced terracotta, 25 cm w, burnished, unglazed ∆04. Two elements in one, what better than the idea of similar but opposed as in yin yang. A small piece, but simple in its abstraction.
cleft, side 1, 2004, reduced terracotta, 14 cm h, partially burnished, unglazed ∆04
cleft, side 2, 2004. This piece explores the contrast between the burnished exterior and unburnished cleft.
orange split, 2004, white burnished earthenware with orange coloured slip, 23 cm high, ∆04
orange split, side 2, 2004. I wanted the contrast of both colour and texture with the clefts in this piece.
reaching, 2004, reduced terracotta, 27 cm high, partially burnished, unglazed, ∆04
small gill split, 2004, white earthenware, 15 cm high, mostly burnished, unglazed, ∆04
small gill split, 2004. Another version of ‘two pieces as one’, differentiated with lined texture.
gilled split, 2004, white unglazed earthenware, 30 cm high, mostly burnished, ∆04
gilled split, 2004. A larger version to the small gilled piece.
curlycue, 2004, white earthenware 14 cm h, burnished, unglazed ∆04. This piece began as a ball, into which I then impressed indents.
curlycue, 2004. Although arduous, the burnishing produces a very smooth, sensuous surface.
small torso, 2004, unglazed terracotta, 26 cm high, partially burnished, ∆04.
small torso, 2004. It’s amazing how one can see the human form with minimal detail.
torso, 2004. This is a larger, similar version of the elemental human form.
