Clayton Keyes

At CCACA I attended Clayton Keyes lecture. I met him at an opening in Reno last month and was immediately intrigued by him. I knew then that it was a must see talk. His lecture was probably the best I have been to in the last five years of NCECA’s and CCACA’s. Clayton explained that after undergrad he floated around for a few years not really making work. However his father passing and his nephew’s birth put him in gear. This is when the thoughts of loss and legacy became prominent in his work. 

             Clayton’s work is expressive and flawless in my opinion. He works with the human figure and more so nude children. This is because Keyes contemplates legacy and what we leave for future generations. His work reflects the mark humans leave on the environment. “Walking with Death” depicts a young boy with a dead oil covered bird. This piece was made after the BP oil spill. When images flooded TV of animals dead or chocking to death on oil, Keyes brought this into the gallery. Showing the innocents of both the children and the animals who both end up dealing with the mistakes of past generations.     

                  Keyes explains in his lecture that growing up gay and wanting to explore sexuality that he felt needed to be hidden from the world. This pushed him into studying and drawing the figure secretly. Keyes work evokes feelings of sexual suppression as well as being unapologetically forward.

            I think that his building technique is very interesting and somewhat untrue to the clay world. Keyes hand builds a cylinder, and then pushes the anatomy from the inside out. He builds each part separately and attaches them when leather hard. For larger figures legs and arms are attached post fire with epoxy. Every piece is bisque fired then painted with a base of white house paint. Then the piece is hit with a sand blaster to open up the pores. Keyes then paints with layers of oil paints, some are even dawn on. In the lecture it sounded like he used whatever was around the studio house paint, oil pastels, oil paint, pencil, pen, ect.         

"Limerence"
Amanda Dabel
Cone ^04 stoneware, wood, spray foam,  paint
2013

"Defiance"
Amanda Dabel
Cone ^04 stoneware, sand
2013

"Question"
Amanda Dabel
Cone ^04 stoneware
2013

"Fallen Angel"
Amber Aguire
Amber's uses the bunny in a different way.  Most of her work is on the darker side. The forms are flawless and the unique surface detail really makes her stand out.  

This was my favorite piece out of the student shows at CCACA.  The piece was made by an undergraduate at chico state. The large rusty bar held ceramic and glass pieces using magnates. A set of the magnates lost power and let a piece drop. The really made it in my opinion.  

Hollie Dilley's Work is amazingly detailed. Every part of the piece is thought about. The mixed media  part of her work is my favorite. Her work show a high control over the material.

"Orange Wall-rus"
Hollie Dilley

"The Swing"
Amber Aguire

Arthur Gonalez
He is the master of emotion and the human figure. There is so much going on in each piece he makes it always sucks the viewer in. 

"Opposite"
Erika Sanada
The attention to detail is amazing, she shows a demand for the material. The wrinkles are realistic and make the piece look alive.