Russell Wrankle

Ceramic, Glaze, fired in oxidation.

20 x 6 x 8”

This was one of the first pieces that I made with the fingers stretching the skin of an animal. I love this piece because it was the beginning of an interesting artistic journey. I’m still on the path, with some diversions along the way.

I tell visual stories with the use of animal imagery. In my work, I wrestle with existential questions of life and death through the symbolism of the body and various animals. My intensely saturated ceramic figures represent the decadence of worldly pleasures, a vibrant source of energy that is antithetical to death and dying. It is through embracing life and living that the pull of death and suffering is kept at a distance. Like Aesop’s Fables, animals such as dogs, rabbits, crabs, monkeys and frogs provide a vehicle to express the human condition.  Animal imagery is the beginning of a deeper understanding of humanity.