It’s good to know I’m not the only person to think of the exquisite ceramics of Virginia Scotchie when I first saw an artist’s representation of the Coronavirus. There’s something about the pieces that fit so perfectly together into a whole but, at once, beg to be seen as separate entities. In any case, it seemed like a perfect time to catch up with the Columbia-based artist and academician to see how she has been continuing her work during our time of sheltering in.

Educated at Chapel Hill, Israel, and New York City, Scotchie has served as a professor of ceramic arts at the University of SC since 1992. Her work has been shown and studied in numerous papers and exhibitions finding homes internationally with an apparent affinity for embassies, including France, Italy, Wales, Kosovo, Australia, and China to name a few. Scotchie’s work can be seen on the Hidell/Brooks Gallery website hidellbrooks.com and her own website at virginiascotchie.com.

On the website, check into how the world is treating Scotchie now.

Artist Statement – Virginia Scotchie

Recent work has dealt with the relationships of whole forms to that of their components.  The act of taking apart and putting back together has contributed to the accumulation of a personal library of fragmented images.  My current interest is in the exploration of new forms derived from rearranging fragments of disparate dissected objects.

With this new body of work I have continued my on-going visual investigation of man-made and natural objects. Usually these consist of small things; ordinary in many ways, but possessing a visual quirkiness that pulls me to them.  In some cases I am not familiar with the particular purpose, function or origin of the original object.  Often this lack of information allows me to see the object in a clearer light.

In some of the pieces, I have “borrowed” fragments of personal objects that have been passed on to me from a family member. Usually these are things that have only sentimental value: An old pipe of my fathers, a funnel from my mother’s kitchen an old bulb from the family Christmas tree. A recent object that falls into this category is a handmade wooden tool that was fashioned by my Italian grandfather to plant his garden. Slender and pointed with a stump of a side handle this small tool fit the hand of my grandfather and served him well. For me it not only holds visual intrigue but also a connection to my memory of him and the things he loved.

The worn, crusty surfaces on many of the pieces are created to give a sense of how time acts to make and unmake a form. This process can be seen in both natural and manmade objects.

While drawn from specific sources of interpretation, the work in this exhibit is primarily abstract and formal. Form, surface and color take precedent over any perceived emotional content. While the work may trigger a visual memory of familiar objects, the viewer is encouraged to have a range of interpretations.