We are excited to have Sara Swink’s work in the gallery this August. Sara incorporates personal aspects from her life as well as playing with motifs and archetypes. I’ve included the stories from her blog to give you an idea of the ideas that underscore her work. A clever balance of playfulness and reflection, Sara’s work is always intriguing.
Carrot was inspired by a Mothers Day gift of collaged tarot cards that Sara’s daughter made. “Carrot” here is the fool archetype. S/he’s a cat dressed up as a rabbit of sorts and rather than read the book, s/he stands on it. The fool has ways of knowing other than academic and intellectual approaches. The fool is intuitive and doesn’t even know how wise s/he is. S/he blunders the way to good fortune.
Akio sculpture clay, white slip, various underglazes, incised, then bisque fired. Oxide and underglaze washes, glazes and underglazes, fired again, then inked to bring out the crackle.
This is how I riff—how one piece leads to another. The patterns on the little “heads” are like china patterns. Blue and white china reminds me of my mother. And china patterns led to the creation of my China Dolly Wallies. - Sara Swink
I made “Maw” incorporating the “Basquiat” face as though on this character’s t shirt. A pensive little angel, recalling a quote from something I was reading at the time, “in every happy moment, pulled into a maw of loss and fear and shame.” Connecting “maw” with “Ma”, along came Imperious Palace, a piece about the ideas of standards and taste one inherits from her mother.
I became kind of obsessed with these “pigtails”, which I had used on other pieces in the past. They suggested “girl”, but also suggested hyper-vigilance, like antennae, which one sprouts when the youngest of 4 in an alcoholic household. A body of work followed.
My brother and I were talking about the time when, at the tender age of 8, I took 10 pennies from his coin collection to buy a candy bar. I innocently took the first ten pennies, which I learned later are the oldest and most valuable. I made this piece, Ten Cent Worth after our conversation. In the process of making it, I realized I had a lot of shame about that incident. I think he’s still a little peeved, but I forgave myself.