San AngeloMuseum of Fine Arts Catalog
Accession no: 2004.8 A-C Type of work: Ceramic
Permanent Collection
Artist/creator: Christina West
Artist biography: BFA degree from SienaHeightsUniversity in Adrian, MI. 2003 Juror’s Award, “Michigan Mud,” Michigan Ceramic Artist’s Association
Title of work: Daybreak
Date of item: 2004
Signed: No visible signature
Dimensions: 40”h x 12”w x 10 ½” w; (101.6 x 30.48 x 22.67 cm)
Description: young male figure in ceramic, hat like shape sits on his head with a cluster of “eggs” on top. The figure stands on a small round platform. Two loose “eggs” are displayed on the floor next to the figure. Entire figure except for one eye is painted in a flat, bright orange-yellow color.
Material: clay, paint
Medium: ceramic
Country of origin: U.S.
Artist’s statement about work: I work with the human figure out of compulsion and necessity. As long as I can remember, I have been an observer of people; the attraction derives not only from an awe in the complexity of form and function found within the human body, but more so from an innate impulse to empathize with the people around me. Much of my work relates to questions that I have about identity: What does it mean to be a man or woman? How did I become who I am? How much has society shaped who I am? How well do I really know the people I interact with? Reflecting on my communication and relationship with others, though varying degrees of intimacy exist, the idea of really “knowing’ a person is problematic because of the impossibility of complete understanding between persons; ambiguity and subjectivity of language inhibit intimate understanding of what each other is experiencing of feeling. As a person who desires to empathize with the people I am around, I find this mystery as compelling as any to explore. In my recent work, the idea of the veiled identity led me to an interest in masked surfaces. Figures exhibit a solid surface coloration that functions as a type of mask; though their forms still are revealed, the color cloaks the figures like a second skin that, with its flat, artificial color, is suggestive of a shell functioning to conceal what would be expected to be their true color, or private identity.
-----March 17, 2004
Condition: Good, from Condition Report dated July 26, 2004
Conservation future: None required from Acceptance Authorization, August 4, 2004
PURCHASE
Provenance: Purchased with funds provided by the SAMFA Collector’s Society from the 15th San Angelo National Ceramic Competition.
Source: 15thSan Angelo National Ceramic Competition
Fund(s) used: SAMFA Collector’s Society
History of object: Purchased from artist by SAMFA Collector’s Society for the museum’s collection. Accepted by SAMFA, August 8, 2004.
Exhibitions: 15th San Angelo National Ceramic Competition, San Angelo, TX, April 15 – June 20, 20043rd Place Award
Restrictions: None
Cataloger name: Karen Zimmerly
Date: August 3, 2005
Sources used: Museum file
