Toby Wayne Larson

Toby Wayne Larson’s sawdust-fired ceramic busts encapsulate human emotion in forms fired in the most ancient of techniques. Carbon, ash, and mineral deposits distributed through the firing process give an organic aura of artifact and wisdom. The loose treatment of facial representation allows the viewer to absorb and connect to emotional expressions.

From the artist…

I feel like a Phoenix rising out of the ashes. I had spent the better part of a decade trying to find a way to express myself as a sculptor.  I’ve tried many different types of clay, yet nothing quite felt like I had hit my stride. I had all but given up. I was considering switching up my medium bygoing back to painting when my friend, who is a potter, encouraged me to try sculpting in ceramic clays. The idea of sculpting was very familiar, but the clay and the process of finishing a piece were very different. I joined him in his studio, and with his guidance, I sculpted my first little bust, and a whole new world was opened. Once the piece had been fired in his kiln, I now had to figure out how to finish the piece.  We decided to try a sawdust firing, in which the piece is placed in a fire pit, covered with sawdust and other materials, and then set on fire. When that piece came out of the ashes, I knew I had found my future! A mixture of rough, aggressive sculpting textures, accompanied by the burns and scaring of the fire. New life was breathed into me as an artist. The Phoenix had risen!

Each piece is fired in a Skutt kiln to turn the clay into stoneware. From there, the sculpture is placed in a fire-pit with sawdust, and with the use of a very hot fire and smoke, the sculpture achieves a distinctively unique finish.