By Darla Graff Thompson (ceramic sculptor and member of NMPCA since 2010)
With photos by Leonard Baca (ceramic artist and member of NMPCA since 2011)
Part Two
The exquisite (funerary?) urn of Mary Sharp Davis was inspired by a visit to a Japanese Buddhist compound. Janeen Maas’ “Home is a Bowl” dazzles us with large, life-like octopus reclining in a bowl with its tentacles looped every which way. Form, color, texture and realism--- people surround it, taking it in and talking about it, and this piece seems to be a group favorite (as well as mine). Nearby, in Hebe Garcia’s “Sisters of the Earth,” three elongated women in wide skirts walk in tight formation front-to-back (or the same woman walking in freeze-frame time?) and each in sequence turns her head further to the side--- the piece evolves and is spectacular to view as you walk around it, see it from all perspectives.
"Going Home" by Mary Sharp-Davis.
"Bateau" by Jim Romberg. "Triplex" by Susan Mach. "Sisters of the Earth" by Hebé Garcia. "Home is a Bowl." by Janeen Maas.
On the wall, Alex Kurtz’ “Celestial Home” portrays swallows in and around their porcelain “mud” nests and demands a close-up viewing to appreciate the perfection of the birds against the harsh-graveled texture surrounding the nests. Mounted in its wooden frame, really a loving portrait of nature. Ellen Mancini’s “Nesting” is similar in topic, the nest as home, but with a simple beauty, more abstract and austere. Nearby, another wall-hanging, “Shadowlands” by Mary Simmons, made me immediately think of a distilled representation of the colorful cliffs found around northern New Mexico and southern Utah, and I smiled when I read that Mary is formally trained as a geologist. We can see that connection. Really nice.
"Song: ABQ Main Canal" by Cirrelda SniderB. "Shadowlands" by Mary Simmons. "Celestial Home" by Alex Kurtz.
Several pieces of the show uniquely capture aspects of plant life, including the flowering “Claret Cups Cactus” of Jorge Luis Bernal, and the rusted, iron-spiked needles of Patty Martin’s large “Desert Home” cactus. Greta Ruiz’ “Terra Star” presents us with an antique-looking, intricately-textured five-armed “juicy flower and weathered seed pod.” In Cheryl Hoagland’s “Sheltered Home,” we can almost see the water currents swaying the branches of the sea anemone that provides home to a small fish.
"Arden" by Doug Hein. "Can I Give You A Squeeze" by Andrea Pichaida. "Desert Home" by Patty Martin. "Claret Cup Cactus" by Jorge Luis Bernal.
"Terra Star" by Greta Ruiz.
"Sheltered Home" by Cheryl Hoagland.
Next, I enjoy the discovery of Timothy Knight’s two pieces, “Basket” and “Slabcube” that are not displayed in the same vicinity--- because they are so different! The former piece is exquisitely hand-crafted, organic, its textured recesses softly producing light and shadows alongside the shine of the glazed tiger-eye rim. In contrast, his “Slabcube” is a harsh white box, an abandoned building, desolate and lonely with black windows for eyes, begging to be explored.
"Slabcube" by Tim Knight.
"Basket" by Tim Knight. Photo by the artist.
The originality of “Fisheye” by Harmony Martinez is refreshing, a porcelain eyeball of a great blue heron with a fish skeleton reflected in its pupil. The piece feels deeply philosophical and one can only guess at the exact nature of the “despair” conveyed on behalf of this majestic bird. Elizabeth Hunt’s large, fuzzy-textured “Harry Virus” tells us the COVID pandemic is far enough in our past that we can (mostly) safely smile about it, with just a hint of a shiver. The shimmering and frosty-blue arms of a Dr. Seuss creature (or maybe the primordial sporangia of a slime mold’s reproductive cycle?) in Lindsay Iliff’s “Dire Beauty” are captivating, whatever they are--- tendrils growing, defying the gravity of some other world.
"Fisheye" by Harmony Martinez. Photo by the artist.
"Harry Virus" by Elizabeth "Liz"Hunt. Photo by the artist.
"Dire Beauty" by Lindsay Iliff. Photo by the artist.
I love the petroglyphic fowl that adorn JB Bryan’s plate titled “birds amongst themselves” that was made of locally dug clay (Placitas) and slip (Galisteo). Also, Steve Blakely’s “Tempest” impresses me with its industrial and forged structural elements smothered in an intricately-speckled contrast of intense cobalt and white glazing. “Blushing Dawn” by Sheryl Zacharia is a large abstract study of architecture, geometry and color, impeccable in design and fabrication. Sheena Cameron’s “Home of the Celtic Fairies” combines raku, glass and sculpted elements to create an otherworldly feel. Charlotte Ownby’s sister pieces “Footprints in the Snow” and “Colors of my Dad’s Dream Car” convey a playful, cheerful element of childhood memory that I really enjoy. The delicate and exquisite crystals of Christiane Couvert’s “Echoes in Blue and Ochre” are layered in a myriad of subtle and dreamlike textures with fields of fog and sea and sand. These are the kinds of pieces I can look at for hours, admiring every nuance from the whole to the localized details.
"birds amongst themselves" by JB Bryan. Photo by the artist.
"Tempest" by Steve Blakely. Photo by the artist.
"Blushing Dawn"by Sheryl Zacharia. Photo by the artist.
"Home of the Celtic Fairies" by Sheena Cameron.
"Footprints in the Snow" and "My Dad's Dream Car" by Charlotte Ownby.
"Echoes in Blue and Ochre" by Christiane Couvert. Photo by the artist.
In short, the exhibit is fantastic and not to be missed! There are many more exciting and inspiring pieces than what I have had space to mention here. The exhibit will run until 08 April 2026, and according to the SFCC website, gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Closed for Spring Break March 30-April 3.
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Ceramic sculptor and writer Darla Graff-Thompson entered her piece, "incompatibility" this year.
Photographer, ceramic artist, graphic designer, webmaster for NMPCA, Leonard Baca entered his duo, "Mountains Shout for Joy" in this year's show.
