Kirsten Stingle
The Keepers
Hand built porcelain with ceramic finishes and mixed media
84 x 60 x 36 in
$23,000
The Keeper and her spirit animal are the tender guardians of secrets, wishes, and memories.
Evocative of a surreal fairytale, The Keepers references the very human conditions of longings,
aspirations, dreams, and the fragility of memory. They care for the dreams we have as children
that drift away; the secrets we keep for ourselves or for others; our deepest desires; our dearest
wishes; our lost memories. There is no expiration date within this repository---The Keepers
ensure treasures are remembered and safe, only to be released when desired.
The female torso is hand built porcelain with layers of ceramic finishes and cold finishes. Her
arms are folded around her chest to protect the keyhole to her heart. The skirt is hand
constructed around an antique wire laundry basket. The fabric is hand dyed, and all of the
flowers and embellishments are hand cut, sewn, and heat manipulated. Her antlers are painted,
waxed and embellished with copper wire that has been torch forged and painted. She sits atop
an old hair dryer armature. Her spirit animal is upholstered and embellished by hand on a
vintage taxidermy form. The animal’s collar and tail are hand cut and heat manipulated. It sits
on an antique trunk that holds inside the potential of renewal: a ceramic egg within a ceramic
nest.