Stan Edmondson Large-Scale Ceramic Sculptures (Art Opening)
Stan Edmondson will exhibit new sculptures, created in clay using the coil method. The large figures are reflections on the human condition—they may be self-portraits of steely determination. Or, they may be interpretations of Gigantor, the huge flying robot remotely controlled by Little Jimmy Sparks. Either way, they’re probably alter-egos. The surface texture and subtle colors add more character to the imposing yet gentle figures.
Artist’s Statement:
“I have been making figurative sculptures similar to these since I was a child. I grew up around clay and artists. I never had to make the decision of what to do when I grew up, because I never did. I remember playing in the mud when I was four years old and knowing that ‘this is it!’ When I was young and didn’t have the patience or technical understanding to make entire pieces, I would just make the ‘pants,’ and it would inevitably turn into a planter.
“The work in this show is an extension of the idea of childlike simplicity that has always been my focus. They somehow make themselves, in that they are kind of a default image of a recurring daydream that I always come back to. Clay has always been my favorite medium. It is the most immediate infinite material. The process of making these pieces is hypnotic. They are just coil pots, really, I just roll out coils and keep adding on until I reach the top. These pieces don’t need your analysis or theories. Accept them as they are. Enjoy them as you would a friend. I do.”
Stan Edmondson is an artist, ceramicist, printmaker, and photographer working in Pasadena. He teaches ceramics at Pasadena City College.
