Larisa Stevenson
Wonderland group
Ceramic sculpture
Ceramic sculpture
The Wonderland Collection
The Wonderland Collection expanded and evolved from an early, simple sculpture of a rabbit, which reminded me of Alice following the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole. This touched a creative nerve and I was also pulled down the vortex of this rabbit hole, finding myself surreally passionate about a series of totems from this book I love, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I breathed life into the White Rabbit, then felt the freedom to create other Wonderland characters, all whimsical , yet ambitious and intricate. There is the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter and the White Knight.
There were many complexities in composing this Wonderland Collection, so much so that I devoted hundreds of hours and many months of 2020 to this project. The totem design demands that each piece fit precisely. The heads are uniquely sculpted; many other elements are wheel-thrown, all are hollow. I so enjoyed the playful use of bright, colorful glazes, but it was difficult to determines just the right color schemes for each totem, and then to synchronize the collection as a whole. And, yes, the Wonderland Collection is meant to stay together as a family.
Stay tuned for the most challenging, yet final sculpture which has yet to be realized - that of Alice, herself.
Bio
Larisa Stevenson has traveled the globe and has lived through a world of shit. Despite that, she has a tender, loving, optimistic view of humanity and searches for that in the figures and creatures she brings to life. Look for the dichotomy of pleasure and pain, mischievousness vs. compassion, humanity and the absurd, love and terror. All of these spring from the mind and talented hands of Larisa Stevenson.
Statement
When I stand before the raw clay and begin manipulating, the form often melds into something that I had not imagined. The clay seems to know what it wants to be and I am only the tool that gives it life. Also, I feel like something of a Dr. Frankenstein, in that I will continue working the clay until it speaks to me, as if I had literally given it breath. Until I can see the light in the eyes and hear what the figure is saying to me, I have not finished the piece.
The Wonderland Collection expanded and evolved from an early, simple sculpture of a rabbit, which reminded me of Alice following the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole. This touched a creative nerve and I was also pulled down the vortex of this rabbit hole, finding myself surreally passionate about a series of totems from this book I love, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I breathed life into the White Rabbit, then felt the freedom to create other Wonderland characters, all whimsical , yet ambitious and intricate. There is the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter and the White Knight.
There were many complexities in composing this Wonderland Collection, so much so that I devoted hundreds of hours and many months of 2020 to this project. The totem design demands that each piece fit precisely. The heads are uniquely sculpted; many other elements are wheel-thrown, all are hollow. I so enjoyed the playful use of bright, colorful glazes, but it was difficult to determines just the right color schemes for each totem, and then to synchronize the collection as a whole. And, yes, the Wonderland Collection is meant to stay together as a family.
Stay tuned for the most challenging, yet final sculpture which has yet to be realized - that of Alice, herself.
Bio
Larisa Stevenson has traveled the globe and has lived through a world of shit. Despite that, she has a tender, loving, optimistic view of humanity and searches for that in the figures and creatures she brings to life. Look for the dichotomy of pleasure and pain, mischievousness vs. compassion, humanity and the absurd, love and terror. All of these spring from the mind and talented hands of Larisa Stevenson.
Statement
When I stand before the raw clay and begin manipulating, the form often melds into something that I had not imagined. The clay seems to know what it wants to be and I am only the tool that gives it life. Also, I feel like something of a Dr. Frankenstein, in that I will continue working the clay until it speaks to me, as if I had literally given it breath. Until I can see the light in the eyes and hear what the figure is saying to me, I have not finished the piece.
March Hare
Ceramic 
Knight
Ceramic |
White Queen
Ceramic 
Mad Hatter
Ceramic |
