Left:
Mercу Seat,
2010,
full view and detail,
tree of high-temper-
ature porcelain with
abraded color, silica
bronze forged and
cast, ii x ii ft., nat-
ural quartz boulder.
Opposite:
Mouths to Feed,
2009,
silica bronze, Moretti
glass, mokume porce-
lain, 23 x 16 x 16 in.
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g s .
m o ld s . S in c e S h e r r ill h a s t u r n e d t h e d a ily o p e r a t io n s o f M u d t o o ls
o v e r t o a n a s s is t a n t , t h e b u s in e s s h a s c o n t r i b u t e d t o h is a r t is t ic
f r e e d o m , a llo w in g h im to a c c e p t m o r e e x t e n d e d c o m m is s io n s . T h e
a d d itio n a l in c o m e a ls o g a v e h im t h e f le x i b i li t y t o a c c e p t t h e in v i t a -
t io n t o m a k e a s c u lp t u r e in I n c h o n , S o u t h K o r e a , d u r in g t h e I n t e r -
n a t io n a l C e r a m ic s S y m p o s iu m in 2 0 0 4 a n d t o s e r v e a t h r e e - m o n th
r e s i d e n c y a t t h e K o h l e r A r t s C e n t e r in S h e b o y g a n , w i , in
2006.
S h e r r ill’s t u r n t o w a r d s n a tu r a l s u b je c t m a t t e r in h is s c u lp t u r e
r e c a lls t h e c a r e e r o f c o lo r i s t D a v i d H o c k n e y , a p a in t e r h e a d m ir e s ,
w h o t u r n e d t o r e p r e s e n t a t io n a l p a in t in g w h e n h e fo u n d a b s t r a c t io n
t o o b a r r e n . L i k e H o c k n e y , h e h a s r e t a in e d a b r illia n t p a le t t e a n d a
s t r o n g s e n s e o f a b s t r a c t fo r m . H is c u r r e n t w o r k e x h ib it s a p e r f e c t e d
a tt e n t io n t o d e t a il: f a r fr o m b e t r a y in g t h e ir o r ig in , t h e e x t r u d e d
c o m p o n e n t s a r e t r a n s fo r m e d in t o t h e s u b s t a n c e o f lif e . T h e i r o r g a n i-
c a lly p a t t e r n e d , m u lt ic o lo r e d s u r fa c e s in v o lv e a p a in s t a k in g p r o c e s s
o f l a y e r in g a n d a b r a d in g a n d r e q u ir e f o u r k iln fir in g s . I n t h e in t e r e s t
o f “ e x p a n d in g w h a t c la y c a n d o ” S h e r r ill h a s in t r o d u c e d m e ta l in t o
h is s c u lp t u r e s : “ H o w d o I d r a w w i t h s m a ll p ie c e s o f p o r c e la in ? M e t -
al b e c o m e s t h e b a c k b o n e f o r a lin e o r a n id e a t h a t I w a n t t o e x p r e s s .”
H e h a s a ls o i n t r o d u c e d g la s s f o r it s c o l o r a n d it s h e ig h t e n e d tr a n s -
l u c e n c y ; in im a g e s w h ic h c o n v e y t h e s e x u a l e n e r g y g e n e r a t e d b y
t h e p r e s e n c e o f b o t h m a le a n d fe m a le g e n it a lia o n a s in g le p la n t , th e
m o s t e v o c a t i v e e le m e n t s a r e f r e q u e n t l y c r a f t e d o f f la m e - w o r k e d
g la s s . S h e r r ill’s h a n d lin g o f m e ta l a n d g la s s , o f t e n in v o lv in g t o o ls h e
h a s o r ig in a t e d , is a s s u r e a s h is t o u c h w i t h c la y . T h e m a te r ia ls a re
f r e q u e n t l y d if f i c u l t t o d is t in g u is h ; t h e w o r k t r a n s c e n d s m e d iu m .
T h e “ n a tu r a l n a r r a t iv e s ,” a s S h e r r ill t e r m s t h e m , a r e m e t a p h o r s
f o r h is p e r s o n a l e x p e r ie n c e , w h ic h is a ls o o u r o w n . O n e t h e m e is th e
p o ig n a n t b e a u t y t h a t m a y b e f o u n d in l i v i n g b e in g s e v e n in d e c a y .
Beauty in a Hard Place,
2 0 0 6 , is t h e im a g e o f a r h o d o d e n d r o n g r o w in g
o u t o f a r o c k , t h e p la n t “ b o u n d in s id e a r o c k , s u r v i v i n g ,” w h ile t h e
t h e m e o f “ b e a u t y b e y o n d th e w o u n d o r th e b r u is e ” c a p t u r e s t h e p e r -
s is t e n c e t h a t a llo w s a p la n t t o b e a r f r u i t e v e n a f t e r b r u ta l b r e a k a g e .
U n v e i l e d t h is J a n u a r y in t h e C a r o l in a s M e d i c a l C e n t e r - M e r c y
h o s p it a l in C h a r lo t t e ,
Mercy Seat
c o n s is t s o f a le v e l s t o n e s e a t s h e l-
t e r e d b y a n 1 1 - f o o t - h ig h t r e e w h o s e t r u n k o f c a s t b r o n z e s u p p o r t s
a n u m b r e lla o f m o r e th a n 3 0 0 p o r c e la in le a v e s . I n a e s t h e t ic t e r m s ,
t h e s c u lp t u r e is c o m p e lli n g f o r b o t h p e r f e c t i o n o f d e t a il a n d g e n e r -
o s i t y o f fo r m . T h e a r t is t ’ s in t e n t w a s t o c r e a t e a p la c e o f r e s t a n d
r e n e w a l: t h e w o r k c o n v e y s a s e n s e o f c a lm t h a t a p p r o a c h e s t h e s p ir -
it u a l. B u t h o w e v e r e lo q u e n t t h e v o i c e , S h e r r ill b e li e v e s a s t o r y
is i n c o m p le t e w i t h o u t a r e s p o n s e . A s t h e s t e p s o f g r e a t c a th e d r a ls
h a v e b e e n w o r n b y t h e p a s s a g e o f h u m a n f e e t , t h e s c u lp t u r e w i l l
b e fin is h e d w h e n t h e b r o n z e is p o lis h e d b y t h e w a r m to u c h o f h a n d s .
Joan Falconer Byrd heads the ceramics program at Western Carolina
University. She has recently completed a biography o f Harvey Littleton.
+
f e r r in g a lle r y .c o m
m ic h a e ls h e r r ill.n e t
044 american craft apr/may io
M e r c y S e a t
photos Jim McGuire.
