Painted Rocks Canyon

Wayne Higby decided to join the faculty of New York College of Ceramics of Alfred University with some hesitation. He was well aware of their reputation for the traditional, functional Alfred vessel, and was unsure whether his work, which was beginning to break away from the conventional vessel, would be accepted. Around 1970, Higby decided that the vessel did not have to be functional. In New York he began to make ceramic sculptures inspired by the landscapes of his native Colorado. Through the juxtaposition of five separate lidded containers, Painted Rocks Canyon creates the illusion of three-dimensional landscape.