Earth — Grounding
The first completed wall sculpture in the Celestial Faces series.
Celestial Faces
Clay and glass, shaped by light.
An original series of ceramic and stained glass mosaic wall sculptures exploring the symbolic qualities of the celestial bodies in our solar system.
The Series
I’m using the solar system as a framework for the series.
Celestial Faces explores our relationship with the symbolic qualities these celestial bodies have come to represent.
What if the Earth, Moon, Sun, and planets had faces—not as portraits, but as expressions of the symbolic qualities we've long associated with them?
Earth is the first completed wall sculpture in the series. It represents grounding, growth, resilience, and our connection to the natural world. As the collection grows, each celestial body will develop its own visual language through shape, color, texture, and light.
Together, these sculptures offer a fresh way of seeing the celestial bodies of our solar system—not simply as objects in space, but as an interconnected family of forms that have inspired wonder throughout human history.
Every sculpture begins as a simple idea. A quick sketch helps me explore expression, symbolism, and composition before I ever touch the clay. From there, the work begins to evolve—and it almost never ends exactly where it started.
From Inspiration to Sculpture
Sun — Presence
The Sun will be an exploration in movement rather than stillness. I will be using flowing forms, luminous materials, and warm colors that suggest light extending beyond the face itself.
Moon — Reflection
The Moon is the next piece I am creating. Its energetic profile’s goal will be to invite reflection. The Moon is still evolving. I'm exploring ways to build its quiet presence through layered surfaces, sculpted craters, and subtle shifts in light. Rather than projecting outward, every decision draws the eye inward, inviting stillness, reflection, and mystery.
The remaining celestial bodies will be introduced as the series continues to evolve.
Earth — Grounding
Earth was the first sculpture to find its voice. As I worked, vines and flowers gradually replaced hair, transforming the face into a celebration of growth, rootedness, and the abundance of the natural world.
Mercury — Transformation
While its form hasn't yet revealed itself, I'm beginning to think about Mercury as transformation, movement, and curiosity. Like the others, its final form will emerge through sketching, sculpting, experimentation, and discovery.
The Journey Continues
The solar system has inspired artists, storytellers, scientists, and dreamers for thousands of years. Through Celestial Faces, I'm exploring my own interpretation of its symbolic qualities—one sculpture at a time.
I don't yet know exactly where the series will lead, and that's part of its appeal. Each sculpture reveals something unexpected, shaping not only the work itself but also my understanding of the ideas that inspired it.
I hope you'll enjoy following the journey as the remaining celestial faces gradually emerge.
Explore the Work
The concept sketch is only a starting point. Once I begin sculpting, the piece quickly starts making its own suggestions.
With Earth, my focus was on creating a face that felt calm, grounded, and quietly resilient. Before a single piece of glass was added, I refined the expression until it conveyed the quiet strength I was looking for. The face was sculpted from smooth porcelaneous stoneware clay and high-fired to create a durable, satin-smooth, almost glass-like ceramic surface.
From there, the work began expanding outward. Crafted from artist’s sculpture clay, the flowing vines, leaves, and flowers weren't part of a rigid plan—they emerged as I explored how to express growth, interconnectedness, and the abundance of the natural world.
The mosaic base was then built using hand-cut stained glass. Every piece of glass, sculpted element, and color choice was selected to strengthen the character of the final piece. Nothing was added simply as decoration. Each material became another way of telling Earth's story.
