I was first introduced to Wesley’s work during a ceramics event in San Francisco where he exhibited large scale ceramic sea turtles that had jet engines and propellers mounted on their shells, and they carried protected intricate worlds on their backs under glass domes. At first glance, they were fun and whimsical creatures of the imagination, but a longer look revealed their deeper message about loss of habitat and mass extinction as well as the craftsmanship involved in sculpting the intricately carved patterns and textures. When I was teaching kids clay classes, I loved using his work as examples for my students, they were always drawn into the eccentric combinations and were so inspired to create their own creatures. Check out Wesley’s video below to see how his life, home and work all tie together to inspire his sculpture.
Wesley is one of five artists in the exhibit that Cynthia Siegel and myself are co-curating as part of the 2022 NCECA conference entitled, This is the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene is defined as the current geological age during which human activity has been the dominant influence on the climate and the environment. The artists will be responding to this topic within the themes of Animal, Agriculture, Landscape, Water and/or Atmosphere in a diversity of styles and approaches. Wesley will be featuring work from his Guardians Series as part of this exhibition. Over the next few months, I’ll be featuring the other artists from this exhibit.
I’m fascinated by the creative adaptability of nature as it presents elegant solutions to the problem of survival. I’m inspired by the eccentric, the grotesque, and the beautiful, as I attempt to emulate the wonder of nature. My work is a celebration of these qualities and a critique of the human relationship with the natural world.
Learn more at Wes’ website or follow him on Instagram
Artists Sharing Artists: is a series of posts where I share some of my favorite artists who are also inspired by nature and use their art to protect what they love. More artists coming soon…