“not the shapes of things, but… the things themselves” *
As a figurative painter, I have always worked to capture the physicality and the feeling of my subjects, not just a likeness. With the same intention, I am now working with clay.
While visiting Oaxaca last year, I took an introductory pottery class and for the first time I put my hands in a mound of clay. The experience was not unlike the feeling of sinking my fingers in the soil while gardening, or manipulating soft dough while making a piecrust. The responsiveness of the clay to touch and the simplicity of working with one medium were so appealing. Without hesitation, the earthiness of the clay brought to mind the image of an ape, an animal that I have felt an attachment to since 1980. It started with a dream, which led to a series of biographical gouache collages. Although my primates did not appear formally in my art after that, they remained a part of my aesthetic vocabulary. Now I had an opportunity to return to my apes, this time using clay, a medium that resonated so well with this subject matter. The clay remains unfired allowing me ongoing freedom and spontaneity in my process.
I began looking closely at chimpanzees, that species of ape that are our closest living relatives, sharing 98% of our DNA. But my clay chimps are not about scientific interest, but my empathic connection. Their bodies are a lot like ours, and their range of emotions so relatable. I am expressing my own feelings as much as theirs. I imagine what it would be like to live in the natural world and when I think about that, I cannot help but reflect on all of the perils that threaten their existence.
*From the poem The Death of Fred Clifton, by Lucille Clifton
Laura Chasman