Ski to Sea: Mountain Magic in Clay
Barbara Lydon with her ceramic work exhibited at the Girdwood Center for Visual Arts. (Photo by Allison Sayer)
By Allison Sayer
TNews Staffwriter
The Girdwood Center for Visual Arts (GCVA) is currently featuring “Ski to Sea,” an installation by ceramic artist and Girdwood local Barbara Lydon.
Large ceramic serving platters decorated with ocean and mountain scenes are interspersed with freeform sea stars and other animals. Lydon explained it was her intention to have the repeated shapes and symmetry of the platters bring “cohesiveness” to the viewer, but also have the creatures bring an element of “chaos.”
Lydon draws her inspiration from “The things that I love so much: working on Prince William Sound and living in this amazing place we live in.” She pointed out a detail of waves on one of the platters. “Waves don’t really look like that,” she said, “but I love taking these things that make me so happy and distilling them into bold lines, shapes and colors.”
Lydon explained the concave shape of the platters has both practical and artistic value. A large, flat slab would warp or crack, while the concave shape is more resilient. The shape also draws the eye in, adding depth to the scene.
Lydon throws the platters on a potter’s wheel using a form. She then waits till the clay dries to just the right consistency to draw lines on, going over the lines again and again to deepen them. Lydon prefers drawing on the clay when it is about the consistency of “cheese.”
Detail from one of Barbara Lydon’s ceramic platters on display at the Girdwood Center for Visual Arts. (Photo by Allison Sayer)
The platters are fired twice- once before and once after being glazed. It takes patience to see a piece through all of these steps. Lydon explained it can’t be rushed. If a piece goes into the kiln too wet, for example, it can explode.
Sea stars of every imaginable color dot the walls. Each one has a name, like “Charlie,” or “Ellen.” Lydon explained this is because they are all unique. They each seem to have a personality.
“Backcountry,” a ski inspired platter created by Barbara Lydon. (Photo by Allison Sayer)
Lydon studied art, art education, and art history in college. Her major creations then were wooden sculptures. It wasn’t until years later, when she signed up for a “random ceramics class at Colorado Mountain College” that she discovered working with clay. She remembers thinking, “This is it.” She continued, “It’s just so fun. You can do anything- be additive, subtractive… whatever you want.”
With the field season approaching, Lydon is shifting gears to focus on her work for the Forest Service. She’s looking forward to gathering more photos, sketches and memories to take to the studio next fall.
Barbara Lydon’s work will be on display through the end of March. The GCVA’s featured show in April will comprise the work of high school and college students who have entered the annual GCVA scholarship contest.
(Disclosure: Allison Sayer and Barbara Lydon are friends and part-time neighbors.)
“Megan,” a ceramic sea star created by Barbara Lydon. (Photo by Allison Sayer)