BY KIERNAN McCARTY
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Representing the parallels between humans and other animal species in her anthropomorphic sculptures, Kathy Robb reveals a personal connection to animals and nature through her ceramic art. A step into the Moss-Thorns Gallery this month will transport viewers into a forest-like expanse of Human Nature, and reading the words of Robb\u2019s thesis and biography provided at the entrance is imperative to the experience.
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Robb\u2019s relationship to animals and the natural environment can only truly be conveyed best in her own words and artworks as she guides her audience through the exhibit.
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\u201cYou wonder about the backgrounds of people who don\u2019t share their food,\u201d she says, describing the inspiration for one of her works, \u201cmaybe they came up with a very large family. Where food was very short, there was never enough food, or they were always at the end of the line of getting enough food.\u201d
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Analyzing the instinctive tendencies of animals allows Robb to reflect on how similar behaviors manifest and impact her own experience with humans. She goes on to describe the process of shifting thought she often goes through in creating these works.
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\u201cI was realizing as I was making it, which usually happens, there\u2019s more to it. I\u2019m like that about my tools for sculpture, just not food,\u201d Robb said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve never been in that position where I\u2019ve had to want for food, so that\u2019s maybe why I can\u2019t relate to those people.\u201d
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Much like people, Robb\u2019s work has multiple layers of personality. Using symbolism in the intricacies of the animals\u2019 poses or the cat paws and human face of a tree, she combined multiple works into one diorama to tell a story.
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In talking about her work titled Storing Treasures,<\/em> which represents the human urge to collect objects, Robb said, \u201cI put a piece of jewelry in there. That was the human element that I put in that piece because I have a thing for jewelry and I have more than I need.\u201d By describing the story of the more humorous side of her work in the diorama, she continues, \u201cto make it more of an installation, I made these three [squirrels] and I like this one the most. This is Dumbfounded<\/em>, because he\u2019s saying \u2018I ain\u2019t ever seen a tree like that.\u2019 Here\u2019s Stretch<\/em>, he\u2019s found a piece of bread so he\u2019s good, he\u2019s happy. And since I\u2019m an older individual I know these ladies who will say \u2018I\u2019m over here!\u2019 so that was the inspiration.\u201d Robb holds strong in her belief that wild animals deserve to run free out in untamed nature. That\u2019s why her realistic animal sculptures are displayed using dioramas of natural materials like rocks and dry plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEleven five gallon buckets later,\u201d she said about the rocks surrounding the tree and squirrel diorama, \u201cthat\u2019s how much it took. And then I made three three trips to Linda Ganstrom\u2019s farmhouse to get wood.\u201d When asked about how long the setup process took, she said it look longer due to making the project as it went along. \u201cI only had so much room and I had to wait for some of the stuff to dry and get somebody to help me move it before I could even start another one,\u201d she said. Something unexpected that Robb noted was the financial toll the whole process took on her as well, \u201cIt was quite expensive to do,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I just kept going and going. It was draining me, so I\u2019d have to figure out where I\u2019m gonna get some more money to complete it. I even refinanced my car and I should have taken the higher amount,\u201d she described in earnest. Overall, the enthusiasm for her works and accomplishments shined through in her presentation of each piece. When asked about her feelings on the overall exhibition she replied, \u201cI\u2019m happy with the way it turned out,\u201d yet as if she hadn\u2019t just spent the last six months or so working every single day, including weekends, on her artworks, the artist humbly continued, saying, \u201cI wish I had more pieces but the crocodile took me two months so time got eaten up and you can only work so long, and then you\u2019re tired and if you keep going you\u2019re gonna mess up and it\u2019ll cost you more time in the end,\u201d which is some crucial advice for any fellow artists and perfectionists out there. Before parting ways,Robb mentioned the significance of the butterfly in her exhibition. \u201cWell that\u2019s who I am now,\u201d she said, describing what her piece, Becoming A Butterfly, <\/em>represented for her and the exhibition. The butterfly, beautiful in the nature of its final form, represents the journey of rebirth. From egg, to larva, to pupa, to adult; butterflies mature through stages of life much like that of humans. Despite the fact that it was the first piece she made upon returning back to school after isolation, Robb described this as somewhat of a culmination piece, or the pinnacle, of her journey. \u201cWhat this process did was take me from an introvert to a social butterfly and that\u2019s what this piece was about.\u201d Find out more about Kathy Robb and her thesis of Human Nature <\/em>by visiting the Moss-Thorns Gallery by Feb 23 or by clicking the links to her website and further readings below. Further readings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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