Contemporary issues of masculinity, how men construct their gender identity through varying social constructs is the main concept of my work. Men are in a constant state of flux, evaluating and re-evaluating themselves in comparison to the culturally accepted ideal form of masculinity known as hegemonic masculinity. Each male is measured by this ideal and therefore attempts to portray the ideal masculine male by presenting a masculine masquerade, which allows him to receive the power and privileges associated with a patriarchal society. I believe this is a universal concern because all men knowingly or unknowingly attempt to conform to this masculine ideal. This conformity only helps to reinforce patriarchy by marginalizing and subordinating men and women. My work presents an autobiographical narrative which each piece displaying past, present and future struggles with the masculine ideal. I present my dilemmas for all to scrutinize and relate to. The struggle to be a “man’s man” while exploring the vulnerability and fragility of contemporary masculinity is what each piece depicts. The work presents my contradictions, hypocrisy and search for answers within gender discourse. This leads me to incorporate humor, satire and the grotesque to speak of the follies I have endured to establish myself as masculine. I use a low-fire white earthenware clay body. I construct my work solid, which allows me to utilize the additive and subtractive qualities of clay. Once it reaches leather-hard, I disassemble the piece, hollow it and reassemble. I fire once to cone 02 to make the clay strong but still porous enough to absorb paint. I use a dual-action airbrush, which allows me to control the flow and consistency of each color application. I apply layers of paint to achieve depth and stylization of the sculptures. My choice of surface treatment is to reference comic books. Comic books were an important source of masculinity when I was a boy and I believe it helped to simultaneously reinforce and question what I viewed as masculine. My influences are pulled from a variety of mediums and artists. The work of ceramic artists Robert Arneson and Russell Biles have great impact on the humor and satirical nature of my work. The illustrations of comic artist Robert Crumb have been a constant source of inspiration. B movies have affected my aesthetic since youth, I continue to reference their over the top qualities and raw nature portraying a narrative.
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