Staircase Descent (Ceramics Fall 2022)

Sculpture #1: Art Axis (Gloriann Langva)

 Staircase Descent 

             Staircase Descent is a piece inspired by the Art Axis artist Gloriann Langva.  Langva’s work focuses on capturing the fleeting moments from dreams by combining myth with personal experience.  The pieces are often heavily character based, though sometimes they are also interacting with expansive backgrounds, but always with lots of texture and detail added to the surfaces.  Her goal is to create works that reveal more upon further inspection, adding a dosage of unsettling secrets and mystery to the seemingly innocent and whimsical outside appearance.

            I decided to extrapolate the core theme of dream-like settings and characters from Langva’s work by creating my own piece that draws upon imagery directly from my own dreams.  Originally, there was going to be a specifically structured staircase with characters descending the staircase to a pool of water where a figure representing me would lay curled (all being pulled from aspects of various dreams I’ve had).  The staircases were to be hollow with cave-like stalagmites and stalactites creating cracks for things to hide in, drawing upon that secretive theme from the original artist.  However, the piece quickly decided to take on a life of its own and derailed from my concept.  I found I liked the shadows and hollow space of the empty staircases without any cave-like structures, then I found that no character I topped the staircase with seemed to suit it.  The staircase had become so powerful that it demanded to steal the show, so I had to figure out a different approach.

            In the end, I decided on creating things that would aid the staircase in being the focal point but still add a touch of something to bring the piece to completion.  Inspired by a beautiful stray fern I found on the ground outside the studio one day, I decided that finding it was a sign that plants would be a good neutral addition to the staircase.  Using glued together layers of fabric with embedded wires, I created ferns and leaves that I then painted with acrylic to make a cool green, matching that of the original fern.  I had a skull left over from a previous attempt at making a character for the staircase which I had fired with hints of the same glaze used on the stairs.  Using a previously created column, also in the same glaze color, I propped up the skull and nestled plants around it to blend in as my one “hidden” element (to call back to the original artist).  The addition of the plants helped cover up some of the imperfections of the two staircases lining up and added that extra flair and fluidity to the otherwise very bland and rigid staircase.  Although not what I originally planned at all, the end result is something I am very proud of, and I am glad I trusted the process!

Future Me Thoughts (Spring 2024)

            I still stand by that these five works from this semester are some of the best I produced...ever.  Yeah, big praise!  This particular piece paved the way for new techniques that I used in later larger projects (such as the leaf creation method and the use of mixed media elements alongside ceramics).  The sheer amount of happy accidents that I encountered while making this and my relaxed attitude made for a beautiful final piece.  The stone glaze is gorgeous!!  I had no idea it was mottled when I used it on a test piece, one that actually made it into the final piece to support the skull.  There is a fair amount of jankiness to the final assembly that I'm not overly fond of, but I was finding my way and doing minimal planning, so it worked out well in that regard.  I thought I'd never do stairs again after this but I did... and I'd do it again!  The final result is worth the effort.

WIP PHOTOS

Blocking out the basics and the shapes

Adding details (honestly looked really cool as is even unfired and unglazed)

With the glaze

I was delighted to final unintentionally that the two staircases actually lined up to make one long staircase.  Makes sense in hindsight based on my construction but in the moment I was astounded!

I thought I might try some wire only plants to keep the hole visible but ultimately like the opaque better

I was very inspired by this fern I found outside the studio... the colors and shape of it will appear later

All the leaves and ferns are made from two pieces of muslin fabric glued together with a wire in the middle.  Each one was individually painted (including the wires to make them green, thought the acrylic does chip off the metal if scratched)

The sponge was originally just to help things dry upright but it actually made it's way into the final product as I didn't have any better ideas for setting the plants into the hollow stairs

Made them pretty close to the inspiration!