TRICKSTER'S RED: ART IS A LIE . . . came about shortly after as I began working on the CHILDHOOD'S GHOST shelf. When I was selecting the stoneware face for that piece this face was considered and altered for possible use on the shelf, but was not used.
The gray of the pietra serena sandstone was chosen as a complement to the red-toned stoneware. Carved in 1997 but-yet-unused, the white marble bump-form was soon selected to go with the other two materials.
While I worked the piece I knew the physical form of the piece resembles a herma -- which is an ancient boundary marker/post in the form of a square stone post with the head and genitals of Hermes.
This in part led me to the trickster or the archetypical joker, who in this case has a red face . . .
The title also refers to a couple of very similar quotes by Nietzsche and Picasso which both describe art as a lie that helps us to better know the truth.
The piece was finished about the same time as the shelf piece with the other face. And like that work, this piece also took several weeks until I could put the words together for the title.
collaborative piece - w.i.p. - detail view
paper mache, glass, lead, nails, iron found object, metallic paint and patina
