Wax and Wane

Nancy Carman, Wax and Wane, 1983, porcelain and stoneware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helen Williams Drutt English and H. Peter Stern in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 2007.47.7A-B
Nancy Carman, Wax and Wane, 1983, porcelain and stoneware, 17 1⁄2 x 17 3⁄8 x 11 3⁄8 in. (44.4 x 44.2 x 28.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helen Williams Drutt English and H. Peter Stern in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 2007.47.7A-B

Artwork Details

Title
Wax and Wane
Artist
Date
1983
Location
Dimensions
17 1⁄2 x 17 3⁄8 x 11 3⁄8 in. (44.4 x 44.2 x 28.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Helen Williams Drutt English and H. Peter Stern in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery
Mediums
Mediums Description
porcelain and stoneware
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — celestial — moon
  • Figure — head
Object Number
2007.47.7A-B
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2007.47.7A-B

Artwork Description

Nancy Carman's haunting ceramic pieces frequently contain white surrealistic figures in eerie settings. In Wax and Wane, Carman attached a bald, expressive head to the top of a gray pyramidal structure. The title refers to phases of the moon, included behind and to the left of the figure, over the course of the lunar day. Carman calls herself "slightly superstitious" and believes that each of her pieces is the result of some event in her life, whether it is an experience or "simultaneous or even precognitive phenomena." (The artist, quoted in Ceramics Monthly 29, no. 9, November 1981)

Works by this artist (8 items)

View all artworks
William R. Miller, Unplugged, 2001, colored pencil and gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2001.65.6
Unplugged
Artist
Date2001
colored pencil and gouache on paper
Not on view
William R. Miller, Demise to Our Own Destruction, 2001, colored pencil and gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2001.65.4
Demise to Our Own Destruction
Artist
Date2001
colored pencil and gouache on paper
Not on view
William R. Miller, Pains and Sorrows, 2001, colored pencil and gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2001.65.5
Pains and Sorrows
Artist
Date2001
colored pencil and gouache on paper
Not on view
William R. Miller, Snowball in Hell, 2001, colored pencil and gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2001.65.7
Snowball in Hell
Artist
Date2001
colored pencil and gouache on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani, Cemetery, Tule Lake, 2002, mixed media on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the Ford Motor Company, 2008.32.2
Cemetery, Tule Lake
Artist
Date2002
mixed media on paper
Not on view
Mark Leithauser, Crabs, 2002-2003, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Hakuta Family in honor of Elizabeth Broun, 2016.52.1.6
Crabs
Artist
Date2002-2003
pencil on paper
Not on view
Mark Leithauser, Striped-Face Unicornfish, from Lettered Creatures, 2002-2003, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Hakuta Family in honor of Elizabeth Broun, 2016.52.1.24
Striped-Face Unicornfish, from Lettered Creatures
Artist
Date2002-2003
pencil on paper
Not on view
Mark Leithauser, Octopi, from Lettered Creatures, 2002-2003, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Hakuta Family in honor of Elizabeth Broun, 2016.52.1.18
Octopi, from Lettered Creatures
Artist
Date2002-2003
pencil on paper
Not on view