BLOSSOM BY THEO HIRSCHFIELD
JOIN US FOR GUEST ARTIST THEO HIRSCHFIELD’S WEEKEND EXHIBITION, BLOSSOM.
On display: November 6th - 8th
Reception November 6th, 5 - 7PM. Artist talk at 5:30PM @ 135 Main St., Carbondale CO
ABOUT THE WORK
Theo Hirschfield is a ceramic artist based in San Diego, California, whose work draws on the forms of flora, both familiar and imagined alien forms. Guided by a childlike wonder for discovery and creation, he asks: What might a child imagine upon seeing a cactus, flower, or towering tree for the very first time? Hirschfield creates surreal interpretations of plant life, exploring the possibilities of ceramic sculpture on a monumental scale.
Over the past year, Hirschfield has returned to hand-building, with a particular focus on coiling on the wheel. This body of work embraces the nuances and imperfections of the maker’s hand. From a distance, the sculptures appear almost pharmaceutical in their precision; up close, subtle asymmetries and traces of construction reveal the human touch behind their creation.
Hirschfield approaches scale and proportion with renewed ambition, allowing his biomorphic forms to swell to human height and beyond. These towering sculptures invite viewers to reconsider their physical relationship to the work, transforming an encounter with familiar botanical forms into an experience of wonder, curiosity, and the surreal.
Theo's Residency is sponsored by Scott White Atelier of Carbondale Colorado.
Carbondale Clay Center proudly provides two forms of artist residency, the year or longer Artist Residency Program and the 1-3 month long Guest Artist Series. Theo is the first Guest Artist at the Carbondale Clay Center, with this body of work being created within the month of October. Since 1997 we have hosted 49 artists here in Carbondale, allowing dedicated time and space to work, create, skill share, build their career, network, and teach. This practice helps bring new ideas into the Roaring Fork Valley, supporting the local creative scene here in Carbondale and connects us to the larger ceramic arts community around the world.
“The Carbondale Clay Center Gallery’s mission is to educate, nourish, and inspire the public by providing an open and welcoming exhibition space of creativity, learning, and growth that showcases emerging and established ceramic artists.”
- CCC Gallery Committee
