Mademoiselle

In 1991, I started an annual show with two French artists, Huguette Berzon, and Brigitte Gottfried. Brigitte was both a friend and my French teacher. We called this show “The French Connection” and it was held for eight years in early November.

For this first show I wanted to create something new with a French theme. Mademoiselle is purely from my imagination and experience in observing Parisian people in general and women in particular.

I completed the actual modeling on this piece in about 7 hours. Then the piece has to be hollowed out to a uniform thickness. It is then left to dry for at least two weeks. When it is fired in the kiln, the temperature must be raised very slowly to prevent cracking or even an explosion. If there is any moisture or trapped air in the piece it will be destroyed during firing.

Even with the first showing, one edition was sold and I didn’t even have a mold made yet. I showed the original, which was made in terra cotta (a water based clay) and fired in a kiln to make it possible to add a finish and to make it durable enough to show. I had a mold made and had two editions cast right away. Early the next year another edition was sold.