Artist Kirsten Stingle’s handbuilt porcelain figures share a narrative about the common bonds of human experience. Learn more about this artist by visiting her website.
“No Man’s Land” Porcelain and Mixed Media, 13” x 25” x 7”
My sculptures aren’t intended to sit quietly on a shelf or blend into an environment. Rather, they are meant to evoke a dialogue with the viewer because first and foremost I am a storyteller. Instead of using words to weave my narratives, my porcelain figures convey the stories.
“The Air We Breathe” Porcelain and Mixed Media, 20” x 29” x 14”
I always have been attracted to the power of storytelling. Stories help us to better understand ourselves, our connection to others, and our place in the world. They not only teach us to listen but also what it is to be heard. For me, that means telling the story in a disarming manner combining humor and beauty with mystery and darkness.
“But a Dream” Porcelain and Mixed Media, 63” x 62” x 14”
While my work is evocative, it is not created with only one point of view. I work carefully to approach each story as an exploration, allowing multiple interpretations. My intent is not to dictate the sculpture’s narrative, but for each viewer to find a story that is personal and unique to them.
“But a Dream” (detail) Porcelain and Mixed Media, 18” x 24” x 10”
Perhaps it is not surprising that my first love was the performing arts. There is an inescapable element of theatricality to my sculptures. My background in theater honed the importance of gesture and expression as storytelling devices. For example, the tilt of a head or the turn of a hand has meaning and evokes emotion.
“Bubble Burst” Porcelain and Mixed Media, 14” x 16” x 6”
Further, I approach all costuming and external elements, either ceramic or mixed media, as props or narrative tools that further convey the internal layers of the figure.
“Phantasmal Pour” Porcelain and Mixed Media, 11” x 11” x 6”
My sculptural work confronts a modern paradox: a wired and globally connected world that creates individual isolation and a superficial understanding of our place in the world. Working in the genre of narrative ceramics, I attempt to cut through the isolation by presenting common threads of the human experience. I create a fantastical, surreal world in which the inner psyche of the character and story slowly emerge. My goal is to create a dialogue with the viewer in which the human quest toward self-revelation can be realized.
“Release” Porcelain and Mixed Media, 10” x 62” x 11”
Working under conceptual umbrellas, I examine themes and ideas—much like a sociologist—striving to make sense of the world around us and uncover commonalities. To achieve this, I harness every detail of the work to expose layers of light and shadow that thrive underneath a polite societal veneer. For example, the richly textured ceramic surfaces expose layers of hidden humanity and the incorporation of relics further the narrative by reminding the viewer of the inescapable pull of human history and experience.
“Rite of Passage” Porcelain and Mixed Media, 13” x 33” x 13”
My complex integration of mixed media techniques, such as carpentry, welding, and fabric manipulation, create a seamless sculptural voice between the different components allowing hidden narrative surprises.
“Voices” Porcelain and Mixed Media, 16” x 50” x 14”
Recently, I have created collaborative projects with visual and performing artists that extend the conceptual world and present a 360-degree experience for the viewer. With a background in theater, I honed my ability to harness different talents to create a transformative experience much greater than the sum of its parts. I am also pursuing international projects that involve multiple artists and mediums, as well as confront social issues that involve identified populations in the collaborative process.
Artist Kirsten Stingle invites you to follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
I am blown away by Mme Stingle’s “narrative ceramics”. So beautiful, yet wrenching as one imagines a story or allegory evoked by each piece. Love at first sight when I viewed her work at a gallery in South Florida at which a friend of mine was also exhibiting. My uncle, Rudy Autio, now deceased, created large ceramic vessels bearing Matisse-influenced images of wild horses intertwined with women and wolves. Born in Butte, MT, the son of a copper miner, his website bears his love and skill creating with clay.
Thanks for your comment, Kathy. I agree that Kirsten Stingle’s work is exemplary and have also viewed it in person. I’m sure she will be quite flattered by your insights, given that you are so familiar with the ceramic world, with such a giant in that field as Rudy Autio as your relative!