Multi-media Sculpture
Although clay is my heart and soul, I also work in several other mediums, including wood, metal and stained glass. My sculptures a born conceptually from events in my life. Pulling on stories of love, joy, and hardship to create works that fascinate.
Uprooted
4’x4’x8.5’
Steel, Wire, Stained Glass, Mid-range Stoneware
2026
Uprooted celebrates nature and community. The leaves of a tree grow and spread much in the same way a community does; dependent on one another, the individual collects recourses to support the whole. Each leaf on the tree is special, hand cut, bearing a different texture, shape, and color. Separately the leaves hold their own beauty and reshape the light that passes through them. Together all the pieces form one great spectacle.
The ceramic encasement at the bottom of the tree acts the way a burlap wrap would in the transplant of a sampling, only it acts in permanence. The way you could not simply relocate the almost half century of memories and tradition from the walls of an establishment, you could not replant this tree. They are bound together.
Uprooted is meant to remind people that they are unique, but also part of a unique whole. The places we find ourselves in matter. Taking away space where so many relationships have formed, where barriers were broken, and where life simply took place, bares significance in a historical understanding of ourselves.
Consumed
Mid-Fire Ceramics, Stained Glass, Wire
16"x16"x18"
I have a deep love for my friends, but friendship does not come without hard times. Often, they present problems that I have not faced or simply can’t understand. “Consumed” shows the all-crushing feeling of the inability to help the ones you love.
Bonnie’s Tree
4’x4’x5’
Steel Pipe, Wire, Stained Glass
2023
My grandmother was an incredible woman. It was seemingly impossible to go anywhere without getting stuck in conversation with people in the day to day. As a kid I thought it was unbearable. As an adult I am remiss that I didn’t pay more attention to those interactions with the store clerks and front desk workers. Bonnie had an incredible neck for finding respect amongst her peers, for finding friends, and for building community. Each leaf on this tree is meant to represent the individuals of the community she grew around herself.
As light passes through each piece of glass it changes and is reflected off of the others around it, like knowledge passing through a community by word of mouth. The beauty of Bonnie’s Tree imposes that beauty can be found in spreading joy to the community around you. Put love into the world and watch it grow into a beautiful sight before you.
Pour Your Heart Into
2’x2.5’x3.5’
Foam board, Plaster
2021
Pour Your Heart Into growing something strong and lasting. That’s the motive behind the piece depicted above. The idea of putting my all into something to build a future has been in instilled in me since I was a child. Here the Idea takes shape in foam and plaster. It was paramount to me, that I retained as real a heart as possible, as to make it relatable to everyone. So after many trips to my universities bio department to look at hearts in glass jars, I began work. One hundred and thirty hours later, I had created this piece. My first work in 3d, Pour Your Heart Into demonstrated my natural inclination for working in the full round.
Splintered
3'x2'x3.5'
Pine
2022
Splintered is made from an old military footlocker. Its shards ripped apart and put back together to form a human figure. The story is inspired by my father whom, never recovered from his time in the military. I made Splintered to draw a focus to individuals struggling to reintegrate into community and find growth, after living through extreme trauma.
Works are always in progress
I’m constantly working on the next latest and greatest. Be sure to check the website for new finished pieces. But, if you’re interested in seeing what’s in progress, check out my instagram @HoneyBlakedArt