Spiky seedpod sculpture: my new fave!
A couple weeks ago at the Historic Shaw Art Fair, I had the luck to be next to ceramic sculpture artist Andy Rogers. We have been neighbors before, but it had been a few years. As synchronicity would have it, I had just been thinking about his work the week before when hanging out in Hannibal. Somehow a group of us were trying to remember various ceramic artists who create cool spiky seedpod sculptures... Andy was the one that popped into my mind (although not his name, so it was extra exciting to be next to him to stop my mind wheel from spinning).
One of the fun special treats about being an artist is that if you like a fellow artist's work, you can always suggest the idea of a trade. It's especially great if you both are already familiar with each other's work and are mutually excited by each other's work. We have all made the mistake of doing a one-sided trade, and all I can say is only do a trade if you would also be willing to buy the work outright... this goes for if the work is for your own collection or for a gift.
So when Andy mentioned the idea of a possible trade, I jumped at the idea. His wife loves interesting art jewelry, and I love adding to my art collection (and it had been more than a year since I'd done so, way overdue in my book). On day one of the show, I walked through his booth just to see what types of pieces caught my eye and to make sure price points seemed compatible. He did the same at my booth and then we waited till the end of day Sunday to finalize our decisions. He came to me first and picked out a necklace and earrings... some of my favorite pod/leaf pieces that are oxidized with white pearls. It felt right to trade pods for pods.
Oxidized Half Wrap Pod Earrings with interior pearl, photo by Larry Sanders, ©2011 Kathy Frey
Oxidized Leaf Pendant with Pearl Drop, photo by Grant Boyle, ©2011 Kathy Frey
I didn't even walk back into his booth... I asked him if he still had one piece that we had discussed and if he would be willing to trade it since it was his newest exploration. I couldn't get this piece out of my mind once I saw it, and I wasn't being too exact about price point since it was a trade I was happy to make (the difference was minimal in my mind).
Ceramic sculpture with crystals growing inside, ©2011 Andy Rogers
Isn't it fantastic? Andy was excited for his newest piece to go to a good home, and I told him to be sure to not forget about this exploration... I love the crystals growing inside, the raw crackly glaze, and the details of the little red tips. Everything about this piece makes me excited to explore and break out of the box more. Who says a ceramic artist can't grow crystals!! Kudos to Andy!
For the moment I have it displayed on a shelf next to my Gradient Anemone Branches brooch... maybe I will start an abstract sea creatures collection! I love how the spikes of each piece contrast with each other.
Gradient Anemone Branches brooch, photo by Larry Sanders, ©2011 Kathy Frey