Just the Shaping of Letters

Title
Just the Shaping of Letters
LC Subject
Pottery Alphabet Icons Sculpture Stoneware ceramic (material)
Creator
Wolfston, Betsy
Description
Betsy Wolfston designed, fabricated and installed twenty-three stoneware wall boxes, each 12 x 12 x 3 inches, and a stoneware sculpture bust. This was a site-specific commsion based on the Latin alphabet inspired by drawings of Albrecht Durer. (Wolfston, 2003) Betsy Wolfston; 2000; U of O Law Library; Y, T, Q The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is Lane Arts. You may view their website at http://www.lanearts.org
View
detail
Location
William W. Knight Law Center >> Lane County >> Oregon >> United States Lane County >> Oregon >> United States
Street Address
1515 Agate Street, Eugene Oregon
Date
1975/2012
Identifier
1998_uo_knight-law_09_a03
Accession Number
1998_uo_knight-law_09_a03
Rights
In Copyright
Dc Rights Holder
Wolfston, Betsy
Type
Image
Format
image/tiff
Measurements
12 x 12 x 3 inches each
Material
Ceramic art; Sculpture cone 10 Newcomb clay- stoneware, underglazes, glazes, epoxy, paint
Set
Oregon Percent for Art
Primary Set
Oregon Percent for Art
Relation
1998-1999 University of Oregon Knight Law Center moveable and integrated artwork 1998_uo_knight-law
Has Version
slide; color
Institution
Oregon Arts Commission University of Oregon
Color Space
RGB
Biographical Information
This alphabet series was inspired from a work titled "Of the Just Shaping of Letters From The Applied Geometry of Albrecht Durer". The series consist of 23 letters - the Latin alphabet - which I felt added a sense of history, mystery and classical beauty. THEME The overall piece consist of 23 boxes, one for each letter of the alphabet. Each letter acts as a vehicle to create an image, a thought, an emotion that relates to it. Each box is personalised, using themes of philosophy, science, nature and poetry, layering stories and information within the work itself All the letters have a sense of relating to each other by means of clay body, color, size, style and lettering, yet each have their own story to tell.. THE TWENTY-FORTH ELEMENT In evaluating the space in which the pieces would be installed, noticed that the uneven number of letters would leave a blank space in the wall. For that, I created an additional element identified as "the last letter", a figurative sculptured bust adorn with the characteristic line drawing and three dimensionnal egg-shaped pieces that spill from the head, suggesting an image of the fertility of the intellect. it is installed directly on the wood shelf. I believe this adds a sense of completion, while including the existing shelf in the design of the piece. (Wolfston, 1998)