WHIMSY: Adding a Note of Lightness to Collecting

If truth be told, I have a dark sense of humor and I’m often drawn to art that explores troubling aspects of human nature in a comic or serious way. I definitely do not like art that can in anyway be described with the words cute or saccharine. I do, however, enjoy works that can be categorized as whimsical and I have a number of such pieces in my collection.  I don’t find whimsy to be particularly common in art, especially art created by Indigenous artists, but it does exist.  Simply put, whimsy means something that is playfully humorous in an unusual way.  A number of works in my collection fit that definition.  A number of works in my collection fit that definition.  Five of my favorite whimsical works in the Native American part of my collection are Silver Ceramic Dog with Spots and Stripes by Jody Naranjo; O’olwa – in Flight by Linley B. Logan; and Lips, Paul’s Dino Hunt, and  Eye See You all by Susan Folwell.

Silver Ceramic Dog with Spots and Stripes by Jody Naranjo, Santa Clara, 6.75” tall (2023).  Collection of E. J. Guarino.

          As soon as I saw Silver Ceramic Dog with Spots and Stripes by Jody Naranjo I knew that I wanted to added it to my collection.  The reason was simple: It made me smile.  I was in the Case Trading Post at the Wheelwright Museum and as I looked about at the many different works of art for sale a few caught my eye and piqued my interest, but none truly excited me.  I guess I was waiting for what can best be described as the “lightening bolt.”  It is a sensation that is hard to put into words, but is best described as a feeling of knowing that a particular piece of art must be part of your collection.  You know it when it happens.

I don’t quite know what triggered this emotional response to a small, silver ceramic dog but, perhaps, it was the goofy expression on its face.  Then, again, it could have been his “button” eyes and nose, his upturned tail, or the “tattoo marks” on his right front leg.  However, my guess is that it was all of these things in combination. With so many serious works in my collection, I was happy to know that whenever I looked at this particular piece I would smile.

O’oiwa – In Flight by Linley B. Logan, Seneca, inked and embossed linoleum relief print in 3-D, rattle, 9”h x 8.75”w x 1.5”d (2023.  First Place Diverse Arts VII, A, 2704, SWAIA, 8/17/23.  Collection of E. J. Guarino

When I first saw O’olwa – in Flight by Linley B. Logan at the Santa Fe Indian Market in August 2023, I really had no idea what I was seeing.  Although I have a number of prints by Linley in my collection, I had forgotten that he also creates three-dimensional works as well.  I soon realized that I was looking at a bird, but beyond that, I didn’t know exactly what this artwork could be.  What immediately caught my attention was the expression on the bird’s face and, particularly, its eyes.  Depending on where one stands, it looks as if the bird is looking forward, yet in another position, it appears it is looking backward.  The bird is in flight, but based upon the look on its face it does not seem quite sure of itself.  This is heightened by the marks above the bird’s eyes, which resemble eyebrows or beads of sweat.

As I discussed the piece with Linley, he picked it up and said, “It’s a rattle.”  This was totally unexpected and added to the humor of the piece.  Although there are Native rattles in the form of a bird, one would never expect a rattle to be in the form that Linley had created.

Untitled (Lips) by Susan Folwell, Santa Clara Pueblo, 2.75”h x 9” in diameter (2012).  Collection of E. J. Guarino.

Untitled (Lips) – bottom of vessel.

 

There are many facets to the art of Susan Folwell.  Often, her work is satiric, criticizing human foibles or pointing out social or political issues, but sometimes, she creates a piece out of a sheer sense of fun.  Untitled (Lips) is just such a creation.  It is a wonderfully whimsical work that makes the viewer smile and sometimes even laugh.  As soon as I saw it at Susan’s booth at the 2012 Heard Indian Market, I knew that it was very special.  When I asked the artist the title she said, “It’s untitled.”  Then, after a moment or two of thought she added, “Lips, I guess.”  We then spent the next ten minutes or so laughing as we competed to come up with rude alternate titles.  It was a tie.

What makes this piece so appealing is the use of seventeen sets of lips in combination with an elegant form and muted coloration.  “I’ve been going through a body parts phase,” Fowell commented, “and lips are the fascination du jour.  The firing on the pot is so subtle, yet striking.  I wanted a design that would compliment the shape and overall texture.  I experimented in the beginning using wood stain to cover my own lips and stamp them on the bottom.  Realizing very quickly I was about to give myself cancer, I reverted to copying lips from the Internet.”

Paul’s Dino Hunt, etched and painted pot with dinosaurs by Susan Folwell, Santa    Clara,   4“w x 4.5“h (2013).  Collection of E. J. Guarino.

            Paul’s Dino Hunt may be small but it is a ceramic gem.  It is covered with various types of dinosaurs including a Pterodactyl, a Stegosaurus a Brontosaurus, a Dacentrurus, a Triceratops, and some large bones.  Done in earth tones of brown and black, the piece is delightfully whimsical.  When I acquired this work, I remember Susan Fowell telling me that it was inspired by her brother, but I couldn’t remember the details so I emailed her.  She wrote back,  “My brother used to hike the hills in Santa Clara and bring home rocks and soak them in water to clean them, certain they were dinosaur parts/organs. He and I were living together at the time so it was a fun weekly occurrence to watch him bring his ‘Dino parts’ home.”  I, then, emailed Susan again because I was curious as to how old her brother was when he was bringing home “Dino parts”.  With her typically wry sense of humor Susan simply responded, “Old enough to know better.”

Eye See You, seedpot by Susan Folwell, Santa Clara Pueblo, 4“h x 17“ in diameter (2011). Collection of E. J. Guarino.

 

          Eye See You could only come from the mind of Susan Folwell.  The piece is at once striking, surreal, and whimsical.  Its imagery can best be described as Daliesque.  Upon seeing it, the viewer doesn’t know what to make of this work.  It is bizarre, and yet, it is humorous.  Adding to the fun of the piece is that it does resemble an eyeball.  That fact that it has a “cork” in the top only adds to the whimsy of the piece as if something got stuck in the eye.  Eye See You has been in my collection since 2011 and it is one of my favorite pieces.  I recently emailed Susan to ask her thoughts on the creation of this unusual work.  “What a fun pot!!,” Susan responded. “My initial recall is that it was part of the rubber stamp experiments I was doing for awhile. The eye was one I wanted to do for awhile but I needed the courage to do oddly enough. It’s also very easy to smudge. I love aspen trees and all the ‘eyes’ on the trees that stare at you as you’re walking through the forest.”  One of the things I like most about Susan Folwell’s work is her unique perspective.  She sees things in ways no one else does and turns it into art. Her work reflects a love of beauty, a keen interest in the world, a sharp intelligence, a social conscience and it brims with wit, irony, elegance, humor, satire, and creativity.

There are certainly serious, even controversial, works in my collection.  However, as far as I’m concerned there is nothing wrong with the collection also containing humorous pieces since they provide a counterbalance to those that deal with some of the more disturbing aspects of life.  Whimsical works add a much needed note of lightness.  Often art is taken so seriously that we forget that it was meant to be enjoyed in every sense of that word.