Terracotta: Baked Earth

Susannah Israel’s solo exhibition was recently on view at Eddie Rhodes Gallery,San Pablo, California. The exhibition included 18 life-sized works, influenced by terracotta traditions from Italy, Mexico and Japan.

 

“When I first studied ceramics, wheel-throwing was the dominant practice.” states Israel. “I learned vessel-making before venturing into sculpture. Now I coil build my figure using a kick wheel. The considerations of pottery form are important in the works. These pieces make a set with formal relationships. Shape, contour, line and volume need to be considered in context of the whole group, much like dinnerware. Keeping the palette, using only the natural clay surface, reveals the process and unifies the work.”