David Franklin: New Works

Stonington features new works by carver David Franklin, who has produced a host of exquisite and inspired new wood and ceramic sculptures. Many works in this show were produced during the artist’s 2012 John Michael Kohler Artist Residency at the Kohler Factory in Wisconsin. This residency allowed Franklin to translate his unique style of carving into slip-cast vitreous china.

Though the Kohler factory is in the middle of the country, Franklin brought a little of the Northwest with him, creating an extensive series inspired by the sinuous tentacles of the Pacific Giant Octopus. Simultaneously friendly, alien and elegant, they are a unique exploration of a universal theme in Northwest Coast artwork.

Skull imagery is also prevalent in Franklin’s new body of work, but it is far from somber or sad. Intricate formline designs and elegant voids transform these memento mori into celebrations of life, culture and individualism. The human skull is the ultimate blank canvas: we are all made of the same stuff, and we are connected by ties deeper than geography, culture or language.

Exhibition Dates: