Cheryl Ann Thomas
Coiling is a way of hand-building a pot using “snakes” of clay. Its history includes Pre-Columbian pottery and West African pottery. Most Neolithic cultures also used this method of making for large storage jars. However, this technique is still used by contemporary ceramic artists. Usually, each coil is integrated with the previous one so that its identity as a coil is lost. In Cheryl Ann Thomas’ work, the delicate coils retain the touch of the hand. In fact, the rhythmic movement of the hand and the repetitive patterning of the layers give the sculptures their significant form.
I build carefully balanced columns by coiling tiny ropes of porcelain clay. They retain the imprint of my hand. These precarious columns are too tall and thin to withstand the heat of the kiln. They are compromised and collapse during the firing process. These kiln accidents are “coupled” and reconstructed in a second firing. The chance outcome is left unaltered. Relics are the remains of a human intervention. This evidence hardens into a permanent record of my interaction with the material. From Danese/Corey Gallery website |