“Gilded Wind Vessel,” porcelain, 12 x 12 x 10 inches. All images © Jennifer McCurdy, shared with permission. Photos by Gary Mirando
The natural patterns of turning tides and changing seasons illuminate the delicate porcelain sculptures of Martha’s Vineyard-based artist . Responding to the shifts of island life—and “island time”—she draws inspiration from the surrounding environment and organic forms, like “the cracked conch shell on the beach revealing its perfect spiral to the milkweed pod burst in the field, its brilliant airborne seeds streaming into the sunlight,” she explains in a . Her wheel-thrown capture both subtle and dramatic shifts in light and shadow, mimicking waves, gales, smoke, and flames.
In 2020, when, like many, McCurdy was obliged to slow down and approach her studio practice under the constraints of canceled exhibitions, she seized the opportunity to re-evaluate her own work, telling Colossal that “once my panic receded, I settled into the mindset of the sabbatical, exploring new forms and testing different carving patterns in the porcelain for optimal movement in the firing.” She broadened the questions she asked of her process and the influence it took from nature, such as how the rocks and shoreline met the surrounding sea or whether she could generate the energy of constant movement in her sculptures. “I think the direction of my work did not change, but it gained clarity from focusing on the space between and around each form,” she says.
McCurdy uses a translucent porcelain that she first shapes on a potter’s wheel and then manipulates, slices, or molds to create a sense of motion, often with a swirling or spiraling effect. A series of “pattern studies” highlight dynamic cuts that extend and slump with the assistance of gravity when fired upside-down in a kiln heated to cone ten—or 2,350 degrees Fahrenheit. With the addition of gold or platinum leaf on the interior, which is applied by the artist’s long-time collaborator, former sign painter, and husband Tom McCurdy, the vessels reflect light and evoke warmth, as if formed around a heat source
McCurdy’s work will be on display in Florida at and with from February 16 to 19. In May, she will also exhibit in the in Washington, D.C. Find more on her and .
“Gilded Chrysalis Vessel,” porcelain and gold leaf, 16 x 11 x 10 inches
“Ripple Vessel,” porcelain, 13 x 10 x 10 inches
“Smoke Vessel Family,” porcelain, between 4 and 21 inches tall
“Gilded Halo Vessel,” porcelain, 24-karat gold leaf, and palladium leaf, 16 x 11 x 10 inches
“Sunrise Vessel,” porcelain, 18 x 10 x 10 inches
“Pair of Gilded Fire Vessels,” porcelain and gold leaf, 16 x 10 x 10 inches
Overview of “Gilded Lotus Nest,” porcelain, gold leaf, and platinum leaf, 8 x 16 x 16 inches
“Gilded Lotus Nest,” porcelain, gold leaf, and platinum leaf, 8 x 16 x 16 inches
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