Five Trees, Seven...

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on December 28, 2011 at 2:21pm

This is beautiful, thoughtful work.  Thank you for providing insight into your content- I do see the intrusion of the manmade in this piece, but it quite successfully maintains visual unity.

Comment by Tony Reynolds on December 28, 2011 at 12:09pm

Thank you, Kristen, for your remarks. The series that "Five Trees, Seven Houses" is a part of were an exploration of the changing landscape.  The "intrusion" of the manmade into the verdant forest; the clustering of iconic architectural forms to make neighborhoods; the "symbolistic" representation of the forest in copper and 2 dimensions rather than 3d clay. The glaze finish is actually a crystalline glaze I used as a background, where in functional work (pots, vases, platters) it is usually a gaudy star. In contrast to this series, the current work, including "Six" is about how the landscape feels, its texture and earthiness. Exploration of the landscape in 3 dimensions is what interests me. Many pieces are realistic but I find a bending toward the abstract always present. Once again, thank you for your comments.  Tony Reynolds, Prescott, Arizona.

Comment by Resident Curator on December 28, 2011 at 10:39am

Curator’s Comment:

 

 

Five Trees, Seven Houses is a small jewel of a piece.  The smooth perfection of the celadon ‘ground’ looks iridescent in its polished surface.  The subtle articulation of color in the glaze also instills an opalescent luster, while the tiny houses and trees perched on top seem insignificant by contrast.  I also feel the detailed articulation of the copper trees suggests nature as artifice; the white structures of the houses incidental to nature’s overall design.   As much as I enjoy the floating weightlessness of this piece, I also enjoy your slab built construction SixWeb 2.  While it’s obviously a much heavier object visually, the rough fragmentation of the constructed slab edges and graphic elements provide a nice formal contrast.