Switching the Subject

My favorite kind of museum is the one where curators try to put the art in situ—displayed like it might have been in its time. Or, if it’s at a palace-turned-museum, like it actually was.

In spaces like this, you see how it all comes together. A jumble of subject matter. A landscape here, a portrait there, a favorite pet. While there's something to be said for a striking collection focused on a particular theme, collections built over time—the ones with a bit of chaos—feel more personal. They tell you more about the collector. This is the art that resonated with them, not the art they thought would look good as a cohesive whole. Art for oneself, not for the ‘gram. Or whatever the 18th century equivalent was.

I love imagery from the natural world—landscapes and animals especially. Inspired by these gallery walls, I knew I wanted to create more than just landscapes for my ceramic paintings.

So I painted a fluffy corgi.

I plan to do a ceramic portrait of Frisket eventually, but I need to decide on the right photo to draw from. For now, the corgi is a good test subject. Round body, radar ears, that ridiculous fluff that somehow feels old-world.

I'd like to do more like this. Still life scenes with fruit in bowls. Floral arrangements. More animals of course. Maybe human portraits, though that seems particularly challenging. Someday.