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| Fork |
by Joan K. Yanni
Two enigmatic ceramic pieces
that resemble human forms were on view in the Contemporary Gallery. They are Rake (92.85) and Fork (92.84), the latest work of Bill Stewart,
well-known ceramist, sculptor and professor of art at the State University
College at Brockport.
Both figures are
life-size, mysterious yet whimsical. Rake suggests a brown, black
and pink figure from primitive art. Its surface is rough and crackly; its
base looks like four black prongs—a rake—and its head is topped by a black
conical shape with what looks like an air vent or speaker attached. A small
cow-like head protrudes from the side of the figure. Fork is colored in shades of lime and blue-green, with a partially blue
head. Its small breasts suggest a female form; a curved handle protrudes
from its head. Its two-pronged base (fork) resembles a mermaid's tail
with peeling scales. On its head is a closed water jar or basket, with
holes in its top. On the figure's side is scratched the intriguing
message, "Rain causes grass to laugh."
Stewart's early works
were usually colorful and funky. These new sculptures combine elements of
his whimsical pieces with his later monumental black sculptures, The Council, installed at the Rochester airport.
What are these recent
figures and what do they mean? Even the artist cannot always
explain. In a statement about his work given to the Dawson Gallery during
a show of his sculptures, Stewart wrote, "There are things that appear
intuitively in the objects I make that are puzzling to me. Total
explanations are difficult, if not impossible. Things materialize and
images occur that simply "feel right." I am interested in
invention, in energy, surprise and in some instances, creation before
explanation." Of the unusual look and finish of the clay, Ron
Netsky in an October 14, 1992, article in the Democrat and Chronicle stated that the surfaces of these works are the
result of Stewart firing them up to seven times instead of the usual two, and
often glazing over glazed surfaces. Stewart says of his technique,
"Process and content remain vital.... Touch is significant: the connection
with materials and the manual art of forming is evident. In some cases
the work may involve found and fabricated forms integrated with the clay as
well as an intuitive sense of texture, modeling and assembly.
"The images appear
to have their roots in an ancient past but the content is also influenced by
contemporary concerns. The objects relate to a time when there was no gap
between animals and man, a time of myths and legends, a time of magical rites,
rituals and curiosities."
Stewart goes on to say,
"I am interested in how people provided answers for things puzzling and
unknown in their environment, along with their strong connection with the
spiritual qualities associated with nature. I am attempting to produce
work that is enigmatically primitivistic and sophisticated, focusing on nature
and the figure as a representational as well as metaphorical image. To do so
one must occasionally reach inside to the secret past or lunge into the
absurd. The resulting images hopefully will have a strong sense of the
fantastical and retain a touch of whimsy.
The combination of
ancient and contemporary elements in the figures is similar to Rick Hirsch’s
works in the same gallery. All fit perfectly into a "Myths and
Legends" tour, and can be linked to the Judeo-Christian references in the
works on the second floor, and to the legends connected with the objects in the
ethnographic and ancient American galleries downstairs. What stories children
will be able to make up about them!
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