The Story Behind 'After the Fire'

Amidst all this destruction, I was inspired by a ceramic piece by Anthony Maki Gill, which had always intrigued me. His ability to embed what appeared to be shards of clay into the base layer reminded me of digging through rubble after a fire – finding remnants of old plates or memories that survived against the odds. I aimed to express the sense of accepting great loss while holding onto hope.

My process for creating these pieces involved multiple steps over several weeks. The first phase focused on creating the shards. I crafted flat slabs and added textures, ciphers, and screen print patterns, representing the "memories" held by the shards. These slabs needed to dry significantly, so I let them cure gradually over a week, taking advantage of California's cool, damp winter months.

Next, I rolled slabs for the domes, representing the "lava" surrounding the shards, requiring them to be slightly thicker. Once placed on dome-shaped forms, I added texture and interactive pigment that settled in the textural divots, providing depth to the finished work. After a few days of firming, they were ready for the next step.

This third step pushed me out of my comfort zone. The designed slabs had specific text and symbols arranged thoughtfully, but scoring them too perfectly would undermine the randomness of loss and destruction. So, I let the slabs fall and break naturally, as bone-dry clay does, into numerous shards.

I then scored each shard, applied slip for adherence, and embedded them into the still-malleable "lava" domes. Ensuring strong adhesion was crucial to prevent air pockets that could cause shards to dislodge during the bisque firing, potentially damaging other artworks in the kiln. As I pressed the shards, they often broke further, increasing the risk of detachment.

Despite these challenges, the pieces survived, demonstrating that good things can emerge from difficult times.