Vicky Smith's Portfolio of Wood-Fired Ceramic
Lift Off, stoneware with porcelain slip, wood-fired
Vicky Smith is an artist and sculptor who works primarily in wood-fired ceramic. The artist’s recent works use birds as a motif, incorporating winged specimens as free-standing sculptures, as well as more subtly into the forms of vessels.
I enjoy the unpolished, natural aesthetic that Vicky employs in her works. Many of the artist’s works use recognizable shapes in such a way that one would almost believe that these sculptures were natural formations. In more heavily-manipulated works the artist still maintains a slightly weathered, aged look, leading to sculpted forms that could have been uncovered at an archaeological dig.
The recent bird sculptures in Vicky’s wood-fired birds series are really interesting. The subtle hint of color elevates these into something carefully constructed, and the pieces have a distinct personality that might not be present in a more polished format. They have a certain sturdy, durable look -- browsing through these works I get the sense that these are pieces that will stand the test of time.
