Artist Molly Potter sculpts the human
head to juxtapose concepts that are symbolic in nature.
As is often the case in Potter's best and most representative pieces, the
artist brings focus to a certain paradox of living universal to
us all. Like a phrenologist interpreting cranial bumps, she visually
exposes thoughts, feelings, as words and phrases or by projecting
wacky, incongruent objects directly on to the emotional geographic
regions of the brain.
For every individual,
the action of 'thought' is the first step of any journey, sometimes
before anything else is decided. Molly Potter's work chronicles those seminal
moments of epiphany. As the centerpiece of her "Contemplation
Series" of hard-fired
ceramic quarter torsos and heads caught in mid-thought, "Time For Me to
Fly,"
represents the simple desire to escape the present-if only just
to dream. Each element included in this particular sculpture represents
a means of departure --a propeller full-center atop the head to
lift one away through imagination, a key for locking the door
of the world behind you, and a working music box that actually
plays a jaunty "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" to celebrate
the escape. Contradictory words like 'Spontaneity' and
'Punctuality', 'Selfishness' and 'Courage',
or 'Trust' and 'Aversion' are block-printed directly
to anatomy, revealing the inconsistencies within each of us.
Movement and travel
are constant themes in this artist's life. For most of a decade,
Potter
navigated
small sailboats across the oceans of the world. Before becoming
land bound, her artwork was devoted to photography or illustrating
books and magazines. In the 1990s, Molly developed her interest in printmaking
and ceramics and initiated a series of nationally recognized educational
programs. "My interests are diverse," says the artist,
"I enjoy clay, printmaking and mixed Media. Generally my
work has a subtle message, sometimes humorous, sometimes satirical."
Secrets
Rear
view of "Secrets"
Organic
Time to Fly
Amour-O-Meter
Mind Bridge
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