"Kuba Rising" has a new home!

"Kuba Rising" ©2018 Michelle Davis Petelinz

Private Collection

District Arts gallery in Frederick, MD has sold another of my pieces!  It's one of my largest, measuring 24"x 48", and it was also one of the most complicated compositions I've completed.  My new collector requested information about it, and here's what I sent to him:    

"Because I am a mixed media artist, much of the work I create contains a number of different techniques and/or media.  In Kuba Rising, I’ve used several, including handmade painted paper (the domes),  textured, low fire clay shapes treated with oxide to simulate metal (the embellishments on the domes), acrylic paint over metal oxide (the frame), and my original geometric, silk screened designs on low fire clay (the rectangular pieces surrounding the domes).  The domes were inspired by decorated calabash vessels from Niger. (for example:  http://www.ville-ge.ch/meg/musinfo_public.php?id=022322 )  The clay pieces were inspired by the geometric patterns used in Kuba cloth  from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (similar to these:  www.ville-ge.ch/meg/musinfo_public.php?id=050061) .  The repeating patterns and symmetry of this raffia cloth resonate with me, and they are a recurring motif in my work.  Embellishing the curved form of the domes presented a logistical challenge (!), but working with malleable clay solved the problem.  Once I finished all of the elements, and the final dome was put into place, the piece told me its name:  Kuba Rising—the placement of the domes signifying movement within the upward V shape of the niche,  inside the colors of the frame which suggests fire and emergence."  

I received an email reply thanking me for the explanation, along with this photo, showing Kuba Rising in its new home.  I love seeing where my art "lives" once it has left my studio.  I think the collector made a great choice, and it looks great!    

And now, back to work.  

Until next time,