Jillian Barber
Bird Song, 2021, Ceramic sculpture, Courtesy of the Artist.
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Transcript
I am Bird Song.
So named by Jillian Barber, the woman who sculpted my image in clay.
A seed, a thought, a vision took flight and flew from her head and hands standing at her worktable in Jamestown where many fantastic creatures are born.
I am a Nature Spirit.
My face is embellished with sculpted beaks and feathers, brightly glazed.
My face is a tapestry of avian images like tattoos carefully carved and pressed into my soft clay flesh–intricate, delicate patterns of vintage lace made by skilled and patient women long ago.
Across my cheeks swim lacey swans reminiscent of those birds who summer on Rhode Island rivers. Jillian would collect their white feathers along the river’s edge. She has always been fascinated by birds and animals and nature.
She has made costumes with multicolored velvet wings for dancers with masks to match. Jillian breathes life into all her creations.
And so–we meet!
You are looking at my ornate but strong, mysterious countenance.
You see my gaze is focused, benign, yet curious.
You may wonder what my song would be if I sang.
On a spring morning, early, you will hear my song.
Beyond your window, in the trees and sky,
you will hear a song of celebration–trills and tweets,
caws and cacophony, warbles, coos, and hoots.
Listen and look up.
My clay eyes see without and within.
My clay ears hear without and within.
In the stillness of this gallery, I hear the hum of your voices.
In the stillness of my being, I hear the flourishing of feathers
and the symphony of life.
I am Bird Song.
I am from the realm of imagination and now here I am–
created, hanging on this wall in this beautiful space.
Thank you for seeing me!
Thank you for hearing my inner voice!
We thank you,
Bird Song and Jillian Barber