Enzo The Bat Unique Ceramic Wall Sculpture

Enzo This one-of-a-kind hand built bat is a Raku fired, wall mounted sculpture. Bats symbolize balance & good fortune & promote transition & evolution, as in the sense of letting go of the old & bringing in the new. They also represent the presence of supernatural powers, of being able to sense the world around you, even when you cannot see it. I love bats. They are so uniquely beautiful. They move in groups as they socialize, hunt & shelter together. They are widely misunderstood & yet critical to their ecosystems. This is often the case in our human populations, where the most unusual individuals are neglected or destroyed. We do the most damage when we choose to dispose of that which we fear or don't understand. To reclaim our world & ourselves, we must see every part as important & necessary. in the summer of 2018, I was invited to help run a week-long Raku workshop in Taos, New Mexico, where I live. It changed my life... The resulting effect became an unexpected creative collaboration & dance with fire. I sculpted & glazed, & fire & smoke did the rest. The results were so rewarding that I became inspired to raku almost exclusively... at least for now. Raku is a ancient way of firing clay. This work is painstakingly hand sculpted, bisque fired & then glazed. It is then placed in a Raku kiln, & when it reaches its peak temperature of 1850 F, it is pulled from the kiln, glazes molten hot, & put in a can with combustible materials like paper & sawdust, which catch fire against the hot piece. The lid is then put on, which extinguishes the flame, creating a reduction atmosphere. The ensuing smoke fills in the natural glaze cracking with black carbon, creating the unique, raku-only finish. I have been working with clay since I was a small child. I love sculptural, architectural adornment & functional art. I've exhibited in shows nationwide, won numerous awards & have a BFA in ceramics from Philadelphia's University of the Arts. This art is created in my studio in Taos, New Mexico. Enzo The Bat Unique Ceramic Wall Sculpture