ARISTOTLE
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 1 of 36

ORWELL
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 2 of 36

REDBUDS
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 3 of 36

RILKE'S COUSIN
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 4 of 36

SLINGSHOT
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 5 of 36

HERMANN
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 6 of 36

SARTRE
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 7 of 36

EGON
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 8 of 36

FAMILY
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 9 of 36

SHLUFFY
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 10 of 36

QUEEN ZENOBIA
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 11 of 36

SIGMUND
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 12 of 36

KIERKEGAARD
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 13 of 36

BUZZ
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 14 of 36

CALLIOPE
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 15 of 36

HITCHCOCK
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 16 of 36

ZIZEK
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 17 of 36

ROSE
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 18 of 36

BECKMANN
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 19 of 36

CAMUS
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 20 of 36

MOTHERLOVE
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 21 of 36

SWEET POTATO
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 22 of 36

EINSTEIN
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 23 of 36

OLD SOUL
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 24 of 36

MARCEL
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 25 of 36

BRADY
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 26 of 36

BENITO
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 27 of 36

HOMER
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 28 of 36

HUG
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 29 of 36

THE THINKER
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 30 of 36

LEONARD
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 31 of 36

HENRY DAVID
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 32 of 36

FRANCIS
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 33 of 36

LOUIE
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 34 of 36

TRICKSTER
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 35 of 36

LAUREL
2023
Unfired clay, acrylic varnish and paint
approximately 8"h x 6"w x 3"d


Page 36 of 36

STATEMENT

A Shrewdness of Apes

2023


The first time I put my hands in clay I was in Oaxaca, taking an introductory pottery workshop. The experience was not unlike the feeling of sinking my fingers in the soil while gardening, or manipulating soft dough while making a piecrust. The physicality, the texture, how responsive the clay was to touch and the simplicity of working with one medium were all so appealing. Artists need to love their materials, and I found a new material to love in Mexico.


Without hesitation, the earthiness of the clay brought to mind the image of an ape, an animal that I have felt an attachment to since 1980. It started with a dream: I was going to my family reunion dressed in a gorilla suit, the head of the gorilla tucked under my arm. I woke up amused, went in to my studio and made a small gouache self-portrait of this dream image. My gorilla portrait inspired an entire series of biographical gouache collages. Although my primates did not appear formally in my art after that, they remained a part of my aesthetic vocabulary. Now I had an opportunity to return to my apes, this time using clay, a medium that resonated so well with this subject matter.


I began looking closely at chimpanzees, that species of ape that are our closest living relatives, sharing 98% of our DNA. But my clay chimps are not about scientific interest, but my empathic response to them. Their bodies are a lot like ours, and their range of emotions so relatable — I can see myself in them. There are times I am expressing my own emotions, as much as theirs. I imagine what it would be like to live in the natural world, and when I think about that, I cannot help but reflect on all of the perils that threaten their existence.


As a painter my work has always been about my desire to capture a likeness and the feeling of my subjects, always working to achieve a freer, more expressive approach. With the same intent, I have turned to clay creating unembellished, emotive portraits of these sentient beings.