'Weathering Scape' - Tomoko Abe.

Article by Leigh Taylor Mickelson
Ceramics: Art & Perception - 2013 Issue 92
http://ceramicart.com.au/

"Tomoko Abe's approach to clay in many ways echoes our relationship with nature.... Abe works with clay's natural tendencies and, with skilled manipulation and patience, she starts a dialogue with clay... then she see's where it takes her"

 Mickelson effectively sums up how artist Tomoko Abe approaches her work with clay in the above quote. While traditionally, public perception of clay art may be restricted to figurines and vases, Abe manages to modernise the media and create exciting and expressive pieces. The natural material works in a particularly effective way in relation to the wild 'weathered scape' theme and has been uniquely manipulated by the artist to create stunning and intriguing pieces.

The image on the left (courtesy of Pelham Art Center) is an installation called 'View of Beneath the Rain'  and is a mixed media piece created by porcelain casting, plaster and abaca paper and is  measured at 5'8" by 3'8". When seeing the piece in its 3D form (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiQN__59fLU) and observing the movement of the projections and light, the image creates a sense of timelessness and shadow, mimicking the abstract shapes that raindrops create on a surface.

The piece on the right is also an abstract interpretation of a weathered surface consisting of a number of combined natural and man made materials, in which Abe portrays an interesting relationship between the uncontrolled and the detailed artificial. In this piece created by plaster moulds, paper, raw clay and tennis balls, her seemingly haphazard approach to the application of fluorescent green paint can be interpreted as portraying the random areas and patterns affected by the weather, as well as the different textures that it creates; raised and plunging surfaces.

The exhibition as a whole really captures the idea of kinetic energy, of movement and of natural placement. Focusing on the weather and how it affects it's environment, Abe has created original masterpieces that cannot quite be defined as similar to those of another. Not only this, but her clever and considered combinations of materials add to the different elements and textures visible in the natural environment.

View exhibition online: http://www.clayartcenter.org/v/vspfiles/assets/images/slides/weathering%20scape/index.html