Tiles pave path for flights of fancy
Artist turns clay into delightfully complex statements on nature
By Dorothy Shinn
Akron Beacon Journal art and architecture critic
Katherine Triplett’s clay tiles make you think of sandy beaches, cool dark forests, caves, deep pools, sparkling streams, pebbles on the shore, fertile fields, autumn harvests, the wild and untamed things that move past our windows in the night. Her hand-built, slab–made squares, 10 by 10 by 2 inches, hold remnants of things, echoes of life at its most insistent and evocative: bird’s eggs, the imprint of a cockle shell, the scrape of a bear claw, animal bones, an arrowhead, a picture of hands touching. That’s probably why her work A Small Smooth Stone was among the first to be chosen to decorate the lobby of Summa’s new Specialty Health Center, 95 Arch StThe new health center is dedicated to healing environments, and Triplett’s work goes a long way toward taking a person’s mind off worries and putting it in a more reflective and receptive state. Her tiles, all 24 of them, are hung to the right of the health center reception desk. You can get close to them, examine them, even touch them. One of them even has a small door you can lift to see what’s inside. Her tiles are the colors of earth, air and water. They contain images, surprises and messages such as “breathe,” “strength” and ‘‘p e a c e.’’ Her work was brought to the attention of the Summa Board by Harris–Stanton Gallery. Meg Harris discovered Triplett ’ s work while visiting Charlotte, N.C. ‘‘As soon as I saw her work, I thought that would be perfect for the new center lobby,’’ Harris said. The gallery sent slides of Triplett’s tiles to the board, which immediately wanted her work. Triplett then asked for information about the Akron area, and the gallery sent her plenty, in particular about the Cuyahoga River and the Signal Tree (ironically, just before the limb fell off), which Triplett incorporated into her tiles. ‘‘Her works try to bring in aspects of our environment. She incorporated water imagery into the ones at Summa because of the Cuyahoga River,’’ Harris said. Harris - Stanton Gallery, 2301 W. Market St., Akron, has a small exhibit of Triplett ’ s work on view through Aug. 19.
There’s a set of six called Windows, a set of three-labeled Eyes and a set of nine tiles titled How Can We Speak with these Small Mouths? Again, we see found objects: seeds, shells, rocks, bear claw marks, and, with a wicked twist of humor, computer chips. The tiles are substantial, layered and complex. Just one tile could easily stand up to a small sculpture or painting of similar complexity. But Triplett likes to group them so they converse, exchange stories, compare notes and reveal themselves to each other and to us. A native of Orangeburg, S.C., Triplett honed her skills in Pueblo, Mexico; Barcelona, Spain; and Mali, West Africa, as well as studying at a number of schools. She is the author, through Lark Publishing , of Handbuilt Ceramics, Handbuilt Tableware and 500 Teapots. She lives in Weaverville, N.C., with her husband and two dogs, in a solar house filled with her work. She works in a handbuilt studio nearby where she creates her ceramics using the slab and coil method. Each summer is spent exploring Edisto Beach ( Edisto Island , S.C.), collecting horseshoe crabs and sharks’ teeth, which are brought home to contribute to the shapes and details of her teapots and wall pieces. She uses the windows and openings in her work as metaphors for the layers of personality, history, time –worlds upon worlds, lives beyond lives, one sense leading to another – that we all accumulate. Her work leads to long, intense looking, introspection, flights of fancy and the delicious anticipation of ever more to discover.