Studies
While at a residency at Virginia Center for Creative Arts in 2023, I was inspired by the surrounding flora of the grounds and eager to make the most of my time there. Nervous to prove myself, I created a technical challenge to best incorporate the surrounding flora and better ground myself to Virginia. Each morning, I would take one picture of a flower from the grounds, then recreate said blossom in clay in the studio and later bring the finished piece back to the original flower to take a photo of the two together.
As the days passed, I noticed how the comparison photo always featured my open hand holding the clay piece upwards to the Virginia blossom. As I was also on my knees for a better angled picture, it dawned on me how I was literally and metaphorically offering these little pieces of beauty back to the land from which they were inspired. In looking for inspiration with this technical exercise, I was unknowingly already in a conversation with this new place. The technical thus became conceptual. These air dry clay studies are my offerings to the beauty of Virginia.
May 29th, 2024. I arrived at night on the 28th and the first piece I made was this offering, the national flower of Virginia, the Flowering Dogwood.
May 29th, 2024. Same day, I felt I should also make a flower in honor of a flower I could see. The first official inspiring flower, I couldn't find it again after I made the offering.
May 29th, 2024. Offering for previous flower.
May 30th, 2024.
Detail of May 30th, 2024.
May 31st, 2024.
June 1st, 2024.
June 3rd, 2024. I rested on Sunday so I started making two a day.
June 3rd, 2024. Second flower for the day.
June 4th, 2024.
June 4th, 2024.
June 5th, 2024. Possibly my favorite offering.
June 5th, 2024.
June 6th, 2024.
June 6th, 2024.
June 7th, 2024. Another of my favorites.
June 7th, 2024.
June 8th, 2024
June 8th, 2024.
June 9th, 2024. The last offering before I left on June 10th. A weed can still be a flower.