Fishermen's memorial process: an art gallery for figurative ceramic sculpture and high relief ceramic tile.

---

The Ventura Harbor Fisherman’s Memorial was first little more than a dream, then the dream was translated into a tangible concept,and then the concept was shared with others before it could become a reality. What followers is a visual representation of my dream becoming a reality. The “Creation Process” of the “Ventura Harbor Fishermen’s Memorial” is here documented with step by step images and s

This is where I imagined the Fishermen’s Memorial Arch, close to the Harbor’s unloading dock on the quay at Ventura Harbor, CA; and here I stand arms up trying to imagine the actual space the “Artwork” would occupy.  

A deep and structural foundation was layed to protect against earthquake

The Memorial is taking shape with the cinder block structure.

The Fishermen's Memorial is built of cement, rebar and clay/ceramic products. I was able to secure all the clay products as a donation from Laguna clay company

Here the clay and glazes are being unloaded at my studio at Ventura Harbor where i was Artsit in Residence for seven wonderful years.

I decided to make plaster push molds of each of the four Fishermen I had recruited to model for me, as therr are two sides on the Memorial each with two standing figures.

I was helped by the Ventura Harbor Boat Yard, who built and filled a sand box for me. Here Berni is striking the pose we decided on and next I will place 100lbs of wet plaster on and over him. The plaster will capture his body and

Berni is under the plaster and it is getting harder by the minute. Later I will raise up the mold and dry it so I can begin to recapture Berni's image with wet clay

I pressed wet clay into the reverse mold and carefully fixed it to a clay bed on a wooden surface embedded with wire. I could raise the table up and down so that the clay figure would not fall to the ground. Later I cut the leather hard clay into tiles and hollowed them out to 1/2 an inch, before drying and firing it in my small kiln.

Here I am creating hair and defining features. I am using engobes and slips to create colour variation. I kept the pallette simple with anly blue added as a color. The rest is variations of iron oxide.

Here on the floor of my studio is a likeness of Michael Moberg. These tiles are fired to cone five and are ready to mount onto the Memorial Arch.

Here is a likeness of the Fishermen Kip Whited. Wonderful human being. I need to work on the back ground and to open his eyes a little.

Lee Lambert, another wornderful fisherman who allowed me to smother him in plaster and to create his likeness.Lee helped me build the Memorial so I was able to study him inadveretently.

Mike and Berni in place on the shermen's Memorial Arch

Mounting Lee Lambert onto the face of the Ventura Harbor Fishermen's Memorial Arch.

With thin set morter and then grout. I had to use comalongs to hold the large tiles in place while the cement dried.

Lee Lambert fully attached and grouted into the archway.