Matthew Tyler Wllliams, Department of Art
During the past two years I have developed a body of work that’s centered on these sculptural boat forms. I became interested in the boat as a symbol while learning about the burial rites of the AngloSaxons and Vikings. These peoples believed by burying their dead In a ship, or by including a representation of a boat at the grave site, that the souls of their dead were assured passage into the after life. The sculptural boat forms that I have made are meant to also depict this theme of voyage. They are to represent different episodes of man’s voyage through this life and Into the next.
I selected a building process that I felt would help emphasis the idea of life’s voyage and the weathering that accompanies the passage of time. In the building of these boats I included organic material into the clay body that would later burn out during the firing process. As a result of this my work becomes a collaboration between these chance occurrences and myself. I assemble and shape the form but at the same time I had little control over just how random breaks, cracks, and ruptures that are inherent In the process wlll affect the outcome. The result is a unique and fragile piece.
This fragility and randomness are to echo the symbolism of these boats representing a moment in life’s voyage. These forms are a result of much deliberate action on my part and a touch of chaos added to the mix. In a similar way, life is a combination of our plans and goals and the random blows and accidents occur that along the way. With both control and discord acting in the creation of these boats they can better represent portions of our travel through life.
I wished to develop a process of surfacing these pieces that would accent fragility of these pieces. At the same time I wished to develop a surfacing technique that could be used as an alternative to the use of ceramic glazes. Traditionally potters use silica based glazes to cover the surface of the bare of anemic clay. These glazes are commonly found on functional tableware. Traditional glazes tend to destroy the fragile fossil like appearance of these forms. As a result I have developed a process of fuming these forms with acetone torch.
First I would torch the form with a very fuel rich flame. This blackened the entire surface. Secondly I would go over the surface a second time but this time with an oxidizing flame that cleansed the surface but the black soot remained in the recesses created by the burnt out organic matter. A bronze patina ( such as Ferric, Cupric, or Sulfuric Nitrate ) was then administered to the surface as a colorant. This treatment was then followed by adding a encaustic surface comprising of paraffin, turpentine, and bee’s wax. This surface Is able to complement my forms and enhance the massage of my work.
In conclusion I feel that I was able to accomplish my goals in finding a unique nonfired surface to compliment my work I wished to create a process that would be able to accent and highlight my surfaces without covering them. To accomplish this I had to bring together knowledge from the disciplines of painting, bronze casting, and ceramics the results were very satisfactory.