Resplendent Decay: The Enigmatic Tile Sculpture of Jason H. Green

This month, The Tileista (aka JoAnn Locktov) introduces us to tile artist Jason H. Green whose work is indeed "visual poetry."   Don't miss the luscious details of this work:  click to enlarge.

 Wall: Installation of exhibit: Ornament Now 2006,
Fosdick-Nelson Gallery

Distant memory, sensuous undulations, fragments of time . . . The visual poetry of Jason H. Green's tile speaks in a language of patience and introspection. There are echoes of paradox in his art. Decorative surfaces suggest the vernacular of architectural ornament.

Variant No. 7  2010  16.5” x 24.75” x 2.5”
Watershed terra cotta, slip, glaze

They combine with the methodical application of glazes resulting in rivulets of spontaneity, fragments arranged together never to become whole.

Variant No. 7 Detail

Green's father built houses, so he was often exposed to the "layering of skin on skeleton" as he witnessed the building in process. In his own renovation work, Green remembers how a fragment of wallpaper held memories of past occupants. His tile sculptures evoke the depths of time.

Strip 2010 11" x 22" x 3"

Watershed terracotta, slip, glaze

Strip Detail

Molded low relief curves and revealed matte terracotta are submerged in watery glazes. Receding black spaces form an arabesque of windows gazing into a furtive interior. Edges are chipped and raw, their unfinished and imperfect borders signifying ruin, vestiges of a larger structure, rescued but incomplete.

The discovery of wooden molds at a functioning brick factory were the basis for making his own molds with plaster and wood components. He hand presses clay into molds that include both convex and concave shapes. His unique modular mold making system results in "reconfigurable elements that share the intrinsic geometry found in nature." Historical textures are obtained by transferring a thin layer of slip onto the surface using embossed vintage wallpaper.

Variant  No. 8  2010 18.5” x 27.75” x2.5”
Watershed terra cotta, slip, glaze

He allows the brushed glazes to drip and puddle at the bottom edges emulating the pull of gravity and the fluid progression of existence. "Recently," Green remarks, "I have been working with very glossy and runny transparent glazes that add depth to the surface by revealing a build up of underlying layers." His aim is to "create surfaces that reveal their own history."

 Variant No. 8  Detail

The wave is a distinct motif suggesting currents, both electrical and aquatic. His predominate palette of verdant greens, light iron yellows and lush cobalt blues anchored by the earthen red-orange terra cotta speak of an atmosphere of sea and sky.

Trace 2010, Detail 8.25” x 16.5” x 2.5”
Watershed terra cotta, slip, glaze

He layers analogous hues and reveals "subtle references to the ever shifting color and color spaces in our environment." The chipped, cracked and uneven wash of color first repels us with uncomfortable thoughts of imperfection and decay and then transfixes us with shimmering reflective beauty.

Variant 8   2010 18.5” x 27.75” x 2.5”. 

Watershed Terra cotta, slip, glaze.

Green, who received his MFA from Alfred University in 1998, is now concerned with "characteristics of immediacy while alluding to the past."

He has recently created "fields that suggest the vastness of landscape and the results of weather and erosion." His work invites us to question what we cannot see and remember what we should not forget.

To visit Green's website:  www.jasonhgreen.com



"Tileista" is a monthly column that explores the beauty of artisan tile. JoAnn Locktov is the author of two books (Mosaic Art and Style, The Art of Mosaic Design) and numerous articles on contemporary mosaics. Her public relations firm Bella Figura Communications represents individuals and businesses in the visual and literary arts.  Follow her musings on design, tile and Italy on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/jolocktov 
www.bellafiguracommunications.com

To see previous MAN posts by The Tileista click either link below:
The Atavistic Archeology of Janet Kozachek
Every Tile Tells A Story:  The Illustrative Art of Barbara Schmidt