RAYMON ELOZUA

C.I.C (CLARITY IN CONFUSION) SERIES

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“To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now.” – Samuel Beckett

We are each a collection of experiences, memories, dreams, actions, sins, fears, interests and so forth. We move along, gathering more and more experiences in our perceived continuum of time. Ultimately they all devolve into hazy fragments. Our lived experiences become puzzles to decipher. How do we integrate all we are into a cohesive whole or soul so that we can be peaceful and holistic?

Clarity in Confusion is a body of work that seeks inspiration from the artist’s personal interior landscape. I create entropic sculptures that decay, are always flaking, cracking, and disintegrating. This is a reminder and reflection of the human condition and ultimately our death. Rather than struggle to assemble the shards of our experiences and history, the task is to accept the confusion and uncertainty. In that acceptance comes a sense of clarity.

TRI-HARMONIC SERIES

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In 2018, I decided to return to glass again in conjunction with ceramic and steel. Once more, I worked with Lorin Silverman; this time at Urban Glass in Brooklyn. In addition to blown glass, I was interested in using mirror strips similar in nature to the enamelware photographic setups. The glass was created first. I then constructed a steel structure to suspend the glass shapes, which are removable for the kiln firings. Clay was added and the sculpture was fired for bisque the color. Metal angles were then welded at various angles as a support for two sided mirror strips, which were glued in place.

This series is entitled “Tri-Harmonic” referring to the relationship between glass, ceramic and steel, materials that all use fire and heat as an essential means in their creation.

HUBRIS SERIES

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In the 5th grade at Our Lady Gate of Heaven, our teacher created a contest. Pointing to an image of a state on a map of the USA, each student, standing at the back of the classroom, would have to name the capital of that state.

I studied and studied and was reasonably certain I could win. The only problem, I could not discern the shapes of the state from the back. I asked the nun to keep moving forward until I could clearly see the shapes. Soon I was literally 6 feet away. I knew every capital but I do not recall if she awarded a prize. What I do know is that she called my parents and told them I needed glasses.

Soon I received a pair of new prescription glasses for near sightedness. Already branded a “teacher’s pet, I was now immediately also called “4-eyes.” Despite the negative social implications, what mattered now was that I could see clearly for the first time. Everything was sharp, ordered, and definitive. Eyesight gave me a clarity, even a harshness of vision: the line, the curve, the edge with “level” and “perpendicular” defining space and volume.

Now that my vision is diminishing with age, I remembered this event. I decided to re-create the experience of seeing out of focus. In 2010, utilizing a table top set up of old and new enamelware, I produced a series of richly colored “blurry” images that recalled my first visual experiences.

In 2016, I thought it would be interesting to take these photos, to replace the glowing amorphous shapes in ceramic and steel. I was not successful, hence the title, “Hubris.” Eyesight and clarity prevailed.

R&D SERIES

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Working in the ceramic medium, I have always been interested in the synthesis of different materials.  From 1989 through 2002, I used steel rod and wire combined with 04 terracotta in my sculptures.  The “skeleton” of the steel provided a way to utilize clay in a more spatial and gravity-defying manner. 

The medium of glass is attractive but I never had an occasion to explore it.  In 2013, I met Lorin Silverman, an expert glassblower and artist.  He worked then for Corning Museum as a technician helping artists to realize their vision in glass.  We researched and developed a way to blow glass into a metal armature.

Glass is perhaps the most difficult medium I have utilized.  Once the glass shapes were created, using CAD drawings I constructed a steel and wire structure, which was then covered with terra cotta and fired multiple times for color to Cone 04.  The glass forms were then independently affixed to the sculptures.

The tension between the fractured ceramic with the reflective glass is fascinating, a feeling of beauty born out of decay.

The work of R&D Sculptures 2014: Ceramic, Steel and Glass was constructed, March 2013 – May 2014.

GLASS R&D SERIES

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These new sculptures are derived from a series of sculptures starting in 1999. They are based on a digital exploration of Abstract Expressionist paintings. Adobe Photoshop was used to separate colored shapes within various paintings created by different artists. A DeKooning painting could be separated into 7 different colors or layers. These colors and their corresponding forms were then modified and manipulated in 3D Studio Max, a CAD software. 

The resulting building blocks were then assembled into coherent 3D forms. These prints were used as rough templates to “re-materialize” the digital images into steel and ceramic sculptures. A sculpture now was comprised of the various “sampled” forms and colors from several historical artists.

Working in the ceramic medium, I was always interested in the synthesis of different materials. From 1989 through 2001 I used steel rod combined with 04 terra cotta in my sculpture. The “skeleton” of steel provided a way to utilize clay in a more spatial and gravity defying manner.

The medium of glass was always attractive. In early 2013, I met Lorin Silverman, an expert glassblower with a BFA from Alfred. He then worked for Corning Museum as a resident technician assisting artists to realize their vision.

We researched and developed a way to blow glass into a metal armature. In July 2013, Lorin provided the labor and expertise to make the glass shapes used in this new body of work. Glass is the most difficult medium that I have experienced.

Once the shapes were blown, using CAD drawings, I constructed a steel and wire structure, which was then covered with terra cotta and fired multiple times for color. The glass forms were then independently affixed to the fired sculpture.

The tension between the fractured ceramic with the reflective glass is fascinating, a feeling of beauty born out of decay.