Gifts

In her current work, Gifts, Philomena makes representational sculptures as gifts for the dead and mementos for the living. Through molding the teeth of a zipper on a stoneware backpack and carving the stitching of a shoe, she explores creation as an intimate act of care for those who are no longer with us. Everyday objects become sculptures of memory: they begin as malleable clay, pass through the kiln, and become stone. What burns away is for the dead; the remainder is the sculpture for the living memory.

Gifts for your long journey (Summer 2024). Handbuilt stoneware, glaze, fiber, acrylic. 29 x 15.25 x 8 in.

missing you. (Winter 2024). Handbuilt stoneware, glaze, acrylic. 6.75 x 8.24 x 3.5 in.