Susan Folwell has always been drawn to strong, bold graphics and with her upcoming show at King Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, titled Pulp, Pop and Pueblo, she’s putting a pop art spin on traditional pueblo pottery.
“I tend to lean towards things that you can find humor in,” she says. “I’ve always admired the work of illustrators, especially pop art and pushing into pulp fiction, and it’s been so much fun to take that as inspiration and create something very playful.”
Mother’s Milk, multi-piece set, clay, acrylic, underglaze
In Death, Taxes and Kardashians, Folwell grapples with the ubiquity of the famous clan. “I was scrolling on the internet one day and everywhere I clicked, it seemed like there was another Kardashian, so I decided to make a piece about it,” she says. “Once I started, it all fell together.” The inside of the pot is decorated with an orange-red paint, and on the outside, there’s a Kardashian-esque figure on a cool blue background. A spoon accompanies the work. “I wanted it to feel like if you stuck the spoon inside, you’d get a piping hot serving of Kardashians,” she says.
Death, Taxes, and Kardashians, native clay, acrylic
Folwell has also created a mid-century-style lunchbox titled Mother’s Milk, a commentary on the war in Ukraine. It features a checkered lunch tray, a BLT sandwich and a bottle, all made from clay. The “mother” referenced in the piece’s title can be seen in the form of a cigarette-smoking pinup model on the bottle, which as labeled as both milk and vodka.
“The way I see it, Ukraine is basically eating Putin’s lunch,” Folwell says. If you turn the BLT over, the other slice of bread features Putin, looking somewhat reminiscent of a Teletubby. “If you remember the Teletubbies, they were these baby-faced creatures that only spoke in garbled language, which I thought was appropriate for Putin,” she explains.
In Catwoman on the Rez, Folwell renders her own interpretation of the comic book character on a tile. “I sat on this piece quite a while, because the tile itself was extremely textured,” she says. “I debated whether or not I should pound it out or cut it down, but I ended up leaving it as is.” Instead of doing an elaborate scene, she decided on a simple view of Catwoman, staring down the viewer. When the tile is turned over, viewers will find an image of Batman, just out of reach of his nemesis.
Catwoman on the Rez, clay, acrylic
Be Mine, clay
“Susan Folwell has a distinctive insight and voice in Native pottery through her use of social commentary,” says gallery owner Charles King. “Pop and pulp art genres both provide a foundation for her recent designs. They are filtered through a Native lens and result in pottery that is both thoughtful and provocative.”
Pulp, Pop and Pueblo opens on July 15 with a reception from 1 to 3 p.m. and remains on view at King Galleries through July 22.
Powered by Froala Editor
