Earth Shift

Although Earth Shift is hung on the wall, the sweep of its surface resembles a landscape seen from a birdseye view.  A mighty tear rends its layered strata like it geologic fault.  A lined excavation resembles a foundation or well, and a precisely etched line suggests a human presence.  Alternatively, we might see the open rectangle as part of a dwelling, reminiscent of the adobe structures of the Native American cliff dwellers who lived in New Mexico centuries ago. 

Paula Winokur's favorite material is porcelain, a technically challenging clay we normally associate with dainty china.  In Earth Shift, she takes an unexpectedly robust approach, using a large slab of porcelain to create an image that evokes the material's earthly origin.  In his works nearby in the Convention Center, artist Rudolf Staffel used porcelain in a radically different way, shaping thin, delicate vessels penetrated by light.