Perpetual Motion II, 2000

Richard Notkin

white stoneware

7.5" H x 17" W x 11" D

This fascinating sculpture of a hand is tantalizingly intellectual. The palm of the hand faces upwards with the tips of the fingers gently curved, suggesting a state of relaxation and rest. This position conveys a sense of openness-a desire to give and receive. Notkin's attention to detail is evident in the clearly defined fingernails and distinctive indentations and ridges of the palm. Three spiked spheres lay atop the palm in varying sizes and colors: red, green, and black. These strange objects, somewhere between man-made and organic, add another layer of intrigue, urging us to question the relationship between humanity and scientific discovery. This unique piece is guaranteed to bring both intellectual stimulation and aesthetic value to any collection!

Artist Statement

During the past 38 years, my ceramic sculptures have explored the complex environmental, political and economic impacts of contemporary human civilization upon the ecological and spiritual condition of our planet, and the quality of life of individual human beings. I present these concerns - about which I am passionate (some might say obsessive) - by visually manipulating and juxtaposing various objects, images and symbols to create narrative sculptural works which stimulate the viewer to examine their own innermost feelings. In the past few years, I have begun working with sculpture on a scale larger than my trademark miniature works, and exploring a wide range of clays and ceramic techniques that are new to me. I find myself in a transitional phase that is quite challenging and often difficult, but necessary to the evolution and growth of my art. I feel that to remain viable, an artist must remain forever inquisitive, eternally a student - technically, aesthetically, and conceptually.

Artist Biography

Richard Notkin has been working in clay for over 50 years, and is one of the best known and respected ceramic artists in the United States. He lives and works in Helena, Montana. He earned a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1970, and an MFA from the University of California, Davis in 1973. His series of Yixing (China) inspired teapots and ceramic sculptures have been exhibited internationally and are in more than 75 public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan. He has held visiting artist positions and conducted over 250 workshops throughout the world. Among his awards, Notkin has received three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and grants from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation. In 2008, Notkin was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council, and was also awarded the Hoi Fellowship by the United States Artists Foundation. He is also the recipient of the Meloy Stevenson Award from the Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT, and the Honorary Membership Award from NCECA, National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, in 2014.

Donated by the Grainer Family.

• All winning bids are paid in full before artwork leaves The Clay Studio. Winning Bids are automatically billed at the close of the Auction at 10:30 pm.
• Shipping is NOT included in the winning bid.
• Items can be packed and shipped, and the winner will pay the cost.
• Items can be picked up at The Clay Studio for no additional cost.
• Items with alcohol CANNOT be shipped.