Small Dark Cloud

Christine Joy, Small Dark Cloud, 2012, willow and Rocky Mountain maple with encaustic finish, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mary Anne Fray, 2021.55.2
Christine Joy, Small Dark Cloud, 2012, willow and Rocky Mountain maple with encaustic finish, overall_​1: 15 34 × 20 34 × 15 12 in. (40 × 52.7 × 39.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mary Anne Fray, 2021.55.2

Artwork Details

Title
Small Dark Cloud
Date
2012
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
overall_​1: 15 34 × 20 34 × 15 12 in. (40 × 52.7 × 39.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mary Anne Fray
Mediums Description
willow and Rocky Mountain maple with encaustic finish
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
2021.55.2

Artwork Description

Inspired by birds’ nests and clouds, Christine Joy developed a weaving technique to convey the movement of nature. The artist works with pliable twigs of willow, harvested from her home in Montana. While her baskets are not functional in the traditional sense, both her process and the work itself contain her thoughts on the passage of time: “The weekly routine, the daily rhythm, the inevitable flow of time from birth to death, mysterious, astonishing, exciting, holding promise of life.”


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Works by this artist (162 items)

Chiura Obata, El Capitán, 1931, color woodcut on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Obata Family, 2000.76.24, © 1989, Lillian Yuri Kodani
El Capitán
Date1931
color woodcut on paper
Not on view
Chiura Obata, Untitled (Magnolia in a Blue Round Vase), ca.1930s, ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Estate of Chiura Obata, 2020.74
Untitled (Magnolia in a Blue Round Vase)
Dateca.1930s
ink on paper
Not on view
Chiura Obata, Landslide, 1941, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Estate of Chiura Obata, 2020.72.2
Landslide
Date1941
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Chiura Obata, Topaz, ca. 1942, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Estate of Chiura Obata, 2020.72.5
Topaz
Dateca. 1942
pencil on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Nathan Oliveira, Site with Blue and White, 1978, monotype, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Moses Lasky, 2004.32.14
Site with Blue and White
Date1978
monotype
Not on view