Ashby Carlisle

I witness the first light each day with coffee in hand. Black ink silhouettes of bare vines and trees appear and lyrically dance across the vista. This daily routine fuels my art with colors, images, lines and ponderings about nature.

I have developed a unique process to translate my observations into sculptural landscapes. It starts when I form clay for a series of works in order to fill a kiln for firing.  With the clay pieces laid out, I refine my compositions and begin fabricating the paper, metal, and wood that join the clay to complete the image.  While labor intensive, the work is very engaging as it summons many different skills and techniques: printing and dyeing paper; forming, firing, and glazing clay; welding steel and bronze; routing and constructing wood boxes; and applying the various finishes each material requires.

I intuitively know when a piece is successful, as the disparate mediums flow seamlessly together like the plants and the sky that inspire each work. A piece is successful when I step back and experience the same harmony I feel within myself and my surroundings each morning at first light. But ultimately, I feel the greatest sense of accomplishment when others appreciate my interpretations of the natural and man-made world and contemplate their meaning.