By Alexis Moyer
This is the best time of year for treasured family traditions and celebrations. One of my favorite traditions is delivering the Costello’s Christmas commission. Dinah has made adding a special piece of my work to their art collection part of her family’s holiday tradition, which has made me part of their tradition, and them part of mine, as well.
I love going to their home each year to present Jim and Dinah with their new piece because it means that I also get to visit all of the past pieces while I'm there visiting and catching up. The memories each sculpture brings back for me are so wonderful, it’s like a reunion with old friends. It’s funny to think that I would feel so much joy from these pieces but I guess maybe it makes sense when I think of how much joy went into creating each one of them.
This year Dinah asked for a giraffe. She wasn’t sure I could do one because of the skinny legs. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure either but I gladly took up the challenge. I danced around the project for a while trying to figure out the ‘engineering’ behind how to keep the legs straight during the firing. Clay gets soft when it reaches its highest firing temperature – it’s almost at its melting point - so supporting the body was going to be the challenge.
One day I noticed a little wooden stool on a shelf in my studio. I picked it up a while back and had it waiting there for just the right animal to pair it with. Well, there was my answer, a seated giraffe! It would be humorous, which I love, and solve my leg problem at the same time. Plus the color of the stool was going to look amazing with the spotted coat on the giraffe. Sometimes the universe provides.
There were a few tense moments along the way but over the summer and fall, Tammy, took form. She is a lovely creature with a long supple neck and the most beautiful eyes.
I’ll miss having her in the studio as she joins the rest of the collection but I look forward to seeing her again next year as we ring in a New Year with a new piece.