Cairns for Corrine
Freestanding monuments of stacked large ceramic beads in
Room 254 / gallery space in the Seattle Design Center.
By Eric Newman: “My mother, Corrine S. Brickell, made pots in our basement when I was little; she taught me to throw when I was 14; used my mugs and bowls every day; and died this past August…..these cairns commemorate both my memories of her and her guiding influence throughout my life”.
Seattle Design Center, Atrium Building, #254
5701 - 6th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98108
Contact Eric at: [email protected]
Artist Statement
-- Eric Newman, March, 2012
My mother (the Corrine in the title) provided a very strong influence on who I now am….It probably wouldn’t be far wrong to admit I was a “Momma’s Boy.” She was a talented amateur actress and theatre director; my chosen profession is acting. She was a skilled hobbyist potter; ceramics is my hobby of choice. She dreamed of having a ranch and a horse her whole life (which dream she finally realized in her 60s); I rode for the Brown University Equestrian Team.
Her passing this past August has left a large void. The creation of this installation, in her memory, has helped me deal with this change in my life.
While every bead memorializes her, some are even more intimately connected to her history: the puzzle bead incorporates some of her ashes, a couple are slipped with silt from a river near the ranch; one is ‘fire painted’ with the tail hair of her beloved (and apparently immortal) horse, Fiddler. There is also one for Robert, her husband of 40 years, and the best step-dad ever.
My mom was a social worker for much of her professional life….she was a huge proponent of making lemonade from life’s lemons. Just as no person passes thru life without acquiring personality-defining emotional baggage, the blemishes and defects of some of these beads (the result of the firing process) only adds (she would say) to the uniqueness of each bead. Hence, I have left some blemishes visible, some masked with seashells (a reference to our many family trips to the beach which always included collecting shells at low tide), and some even accentuated.
Finally, a part of this exhibit is a collection of many of my memories of my mom. But everyone’s mother is differently important to each person, so space has been left throughout the book for everyone to include memories of their own mothers…please join me in celebrating their lives.
*Cairn: a mound of stones piled up as a memorial, or to mark a path
My mother (the Corrine in the title) provided a very strong influence on who I now am….It probably wouldn’t be far wrong to admit I was a “Momma’s Boy.” She was a talented amateur actress and theatre director; my chosen profession is acting. She was a skilled hobbyist potter; ceramics is my hobby of choice. She dreamed of having a ranch and a horse her whole life (which dream she finally realized in her 60s); I rode for the Brown University Equestrian Team.
Her passing this past August has left a large void. The creation of this installation, in her memory, has helped me deal with this change in my life.
While every bead memorializes her, some are even more intimately connected to her history: the puzzle bead incorporates some of her ashes, a couple are slipped with silt from a river near the ranch; one is ‘fire painted’ with the tail hair of her beloved (and apparently immortal) horse, Fiddler. There is also one for Robert, her husband of 40 years, and the best step-dad ever.
My mom was a social worker for much of her professional life….she was a huge proponent of making lemonade from life’s lemons. Just as no person passes thru life without acquiring personality-defining emotional baggage, the blemishes and defects of some of these beads (the result of the firing process) only adds (she would say) to the uniqueness of each bead. Hence, I have left some blemishes visible, some masked with seashells (a reference to our many family trips to the beach which always included collecting shells at low tide), and some even accentuated.
Finally, a part of this exhibit is a collection of many of my memories of my mom. But everyone’s mother is differently important to each person, so space has been left throughout the book for everyone to include memories of their own mothers…please join me in celebrating their lives.
*Cairn: a mound of stones piled up as a memorial, or to mark a path