DEBORAH RAEL-BUCKLEY AT DAVID ANTHONY FINE ART

Renowned ceramic artist makes reacquaintance with Taos

David Anthony Fine Art (DAFA), the innovative contemporary gallery located at 132 Kit Carson Road, is pleased to announce its upcoming artist reception featuring the highly covetable ceramic works of Deborah Rael-Buckley. The show entitled “Taxonomy of Memories: Chronicles in Clay” begins with a reception scheduled for August 5 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The show will continue until October 28th.

Owner David Mapes noted that the inclusion of Rael-Buckley in his roster of artists is a rare gallery opportunity to view her work, as she primarily shows from her Taos studio by appointment only.

Rael-Buckley said, “My works are of a large scale and my process is time-consuming, so stepping away from the obligations that gallery representation often requires has given me much more creative freedom. Yet I am very grateful to David for this opportunity to reintroduce my new works to the Taos audience.”

Rael-Buckley’s pieces are hand coiled and shaped into their final silhouettes, then design markings are etched and negative spaces are carved from the unfired clay. Once fired, various glazes, stains, and acrylics are applied to add washes of color and textural interest. The finished pieces may also be embellished with such items as found objects or metal leaf.

The artist incorporates her exploration of the “taxonomy of memory” in much of her work. “As humans, we have the special and unique ability to recall and preserve, sometimes with great detail, complex memories,” she said. Dress Forms, one of Rael-Buckley’s featured series, includes the self-referential piece entitled “La Abeja Arquero,” or “The Bee Keeper.” It is a nod to the Hebrew roots of her name, the dependence of the natural world on bees, and also acknowledges their “furious work and community,” she explained.

Abstract vessel forms and idiomatic “quirky works” will also be exhibited, the latter of which transforms disassembled mass-produced tchotchkes into fascinating new and personal stories.

Deborah Rael-Buckley has received national and international acclaim for her ceramics. Her first submission to Santa Fe’s Contemporary Hispanic Market garnered her both Best in Show and Best in Ceramics accolades. Her work is represented in important private collections of contemporary American ceramics, and such prestigious public collections as the State of New Mexico, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, the University of New Mexico, and the National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago.