Ceramic Nesting Dolls: California Edition
Ceramic Nesting Dolls, stoneware clay and underglaze, 2021, 7x3.5x3.5in
Nesting dolls. Russian dolls. Matryoshka. There are many names for these objects and they are found all over Eastern European households and throughout all the different cultures. Its an objects most of Eastern Europeans hold dear, having grown up with at least one set in the house. Typically they depict women surrounded by floral and folk decorations, often region specific, this project takes this Eastern European staple and uses native flora and fauna to California to create a set that reflects the state.
The animal features are hand sculpted onto the coiled dolls. And the floral decorations are carved into a layer of blue underglaze to contrast against the light clay body.
Above are the digital rough sketches of the designs before the meticulous hand carving. Below are the nearly finished dolls in their greenware state.
