Opening reception: Thursday, February 20, 6:30-8 pm
An exhibition of ceramic sculpture by Robert Pulley, "Breathing into Clay," is on view February 20-March 14 in The Republic Building Gallery. An opening reception for the exhibition takes place Thursday, February 20 from 6:30-8 pm.
Robert Pulley makes small- and large-scale ceramic sculptures, as well as sculptures in bronze and stone.
"Each sculpture is part of a body of work that flows," says Pulley. "The source of the stream is a love of clay, and a search for forms that yield little shots of surprise and satisfaction. The sculptures have gained content in the creative process, but they await private interpretations by each observer.
"My interest is in nature in all its complex interconnections. The physical world is constant change. As a youth, I was fascinated by the glacial stones and exposed sedimentary bedrock around Wabash. The stone, particularly, seemed a repository of time. I remember seeing a glacial boulder above a falls in the bank of a small stream. It was gripped by the muscular roots of a tree and surrounded by spring flowers. Layers of time were there to see. References to these forces and forms have gathered together in my sculptures. I am seeking to manifest some of the energy and mystery I find around me. Each sculpture is the result of an engagement of natural forces, consciousness, hand, chance, earth and fire.
"My process starts with quick, loose improvisation on paper with thumbnail sketches, or three dimensionally with maquettes made of clay, plaster, styrofoam or wax. I use chance, synchronicity and the subconscious to help generate novel ideas for forms. Many sketches are made. Few are translated into finished ceramic sculptures.
"The sculptures are built from fat coils that are pinched up into thin slabs. Progress is gradual. Variation from the sketch in proportion, line, structure and refinement occur as the work progresses."
