December 2017

Reaching for Hope

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REACHING FOR HOPE is part of the “Expressive Hands” Series. Hand built from my own hand- made paper clay and raku fired using three different raku glazes, REACHING FOR HOPE poses a question for the viewer: is the lower hand helping or hindering, raising or pulling down? I must admit that my answer changes from time to time depending on my mood and recent experiences- straddling the thin line between optimism and pessimism. 9 ½” x 4” x 4”

Phoenix Rising

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PHOENIX RISING is an abstract rendition of the classic myth of the Phoenix, the bird that rises from its own ashes. In my version, the image of the Phoenix appears in outline through the smoke and ashes just to the left of center – though the eye is clearly visible. A hand inked and hand pulled hard plate monotype, PHOENIX RISING is matted and framed to 28” x 22

 

 

NIGHT WATCH

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

NIGHT WATCH, a mixed media sculpture and off-shoot of the “Hooded Figure” series, pulls back the hood and adds a helmet, a shield, chain mail, and a torch, thereby moving away from the abstract form of the original pieces in the series to a more detailed and representational expression. Hand built and raku fired paper clay with steel wire, forsythia and Epoxy Sculpt on gneiss and set on an MDF base plate. 7 ½” x 8 ¾” x 3”

APOCALYPSE

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

APOCALYPSE, a double plate collographic monoprint, the first non-ceramic piece in my Summer, 2017 “Hooded Figure” series, uses stylized black and white oval figures set against a roiling orange/red/black background to illustrate a central theme from the Book of Revelations. Hand inked and hand pulled. Image: 14” x 21 ½”, matted and framed to 22” x 28”.

NUCLEAR FAMILY: 2018

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

NUCLEAR FAMILY: 2018 is a combination print and collage which superimposes two images (male and female) from my AN AMERICAN FACE Series on a hard surface monotype background in order to emphasize one of the many risks that the “nuclear family” will face in 2018. The angles and palette of the background, the merging of the images with the background at points, the disembodied nature of the images and the thin black border line all point to the other use of the term “nuclear”. Matted and framed to 18” x 14”.