Portrait of 2124 Porcelain Vessels by Charlie and Blair
Adrian Smith "Charlie", a part of duo "Charlie & Blair" (with Heather Lockhart) created a self-portrait "Untitled" using 2124 porcelain painted vessels
photo credit: Michelle Smith
“Each vessel was hand thrown over a period of two months. As they came off the wheel I didn’t try and alter/perfect the shape of the vessel. Instead, I wanted to keep each vessel in their current state in order to capture a moment in time. These individual imperfections as a whole aren’t noticeable until the viewer approaches the piece. These subtle imperfections reflect my sense of identity and personal pursuit for perfection. Everyone has flaws and it isn’t until you get to a deeper level in a relationship, or closer to the subject matter that you notice these cracks and flaws. I used a stippling technique on each individual vessel that from up close has a perspective of scattered dots, but from afar the viewer receives a completed image of the artist. This shift in perspective creates alternating views depending on the angle and distance that the artwork is being received. I wanted to keep the facial expression neutral so the viewer can bring their own experiences to the subject matter. By doing this the viewer is interpreting the subject matter from their perspective and in a sense are critiquing the piece based on face value. The repetition of the vessels reflects my pursuit of perfection. By repeating the same vessel, I was guided by feel and sight to ultimately create a uniformed scale piece.”
