This week, we are stepping into the studio for a “What’s Cooking” feature that explores the vibrant, painterly world of long-time community member and artist, Sandy Kaplan.
If you’ve walked through our galleries in the Delmar Maker District, you’ve likely been stopped in your tracks by Sandy’s work. Her pieces aren’t just vessels; they are populated narratives, bursting with color and life. But how does a “vessel” transition from a lump of earth to a complex scene inspired by the likes of Picasso?
From Fabric to Form
Sandy’s technical approach is as unique as her aesthetic. While many ceramicists start at the wheel, Sandy has never thrown a piece in her life. Instead, she builds openly, using a coil method that allows the form to grow organically.
Perhaps most fascinating is how her background in sewing influences her sculptures.
“I used to sew when the kids were little and make clothes. So I was never afraid to make hats or clothes on these clay people. It just came naturally to me… I treated the clay like fabric.”
By rolling out the terra cotta and creating patterns, she “dresses” her figures, bridging the gap between fiber arts and ceramics.
The Painterly Palette
For Sandy, the goal is always to glaze in a painterly way. She specifically chooses terra cotta because its low-fire nature allows her to treat glazes like a painter’s palette. Using everything from traditional brushes to dental tools, she mixes textures and hues to achieve a specific depth that mimics canvas work.
An Evolving Narrative
Innovation requires challenging internal assumptions. Sandy recalls a pivotal moment in 2012 when curator Buzz Specter noted that while her vessel exteriors were rich with detail, the interiors remained vacant. That critique sparked a decade of exploration, leading Sandy to populate the “inside” of her work, making the internal space as vital as the external form.
Currently, she is pushing these boundaries even further by translating the cubist distortions of Picasso into low-relief clay sculptures, layering thin sheets of terra cotta to create dimension and mystery.