Memories made real in everyday objects

Parksville creamicist creates clay replicas

By Teresa Tulipano | Manor Ink Mentor

Lisa Gartner is creating a strangely familiar universe in her Parksville studio. Gartner’s ceramic sculptures are meticulously copied, oversized representations of everyday objects. Their exaggerated size transforms the mundane items into symbolic artifacts of Gartner’s own creation lore.

Gartner’s art taps into the GenX, latch-key-kid collective unconscious. Many of her sculptures are replicas of products that were popular in past decades. The sculptures examine the past without being “schmaltzy.” Her attention to logos and packaging exalt and elevate the objects beyond their marketing origins.

“I think we all have things in common. We were all children. If we grew up within the same time frame, you probably recognize some of the brand names. The art captures a shared memory. It’s capturing something that’s ethereal, that is fleeting, you know? I’m just trying to make it real,” Gartner said.

Objects that recall an era

Her studio is filled with clay memories that evoke a place in time, like the enormous bottle of Clairol herbal essence shampoo that young girls have been getting from the grocery store since the 1970s. Or the oversized pack of Big League Chew bubble gum, which has realistic pink ribbons of gum spilling out of the torn package, and was popular in every American 1980s elementary school. A Pizza Hut matchbook and a glossy tube of Chapstick look like they might have been in the bottom of a teenager’s purse in the early 1990s.

It’s easy to forget you are looking at clay objects. Some of her sculptures would be photo-real, except that their exaggerated size reveals every object is a reproduction. Her glazing technique mirrors colors and textures with a breathtaking accuracy. Gartner’s version of an Etch-A-Sketch with a dog drawing on it looks like you could start twisting the dials.

Among the individual pieces there is a nod to the early 2000s trend of ceramics called “Tuscany kitchen” with a vase that features Christopher Moltisante from “The Sopranos,” wearing a neck brace like he did in the series. A pale blue Carhartt beanie is perfectly textured, and the label is exactly like the real brown leather tag. A Hooters tank top has a stunning realism to it, down to the perfectly lined ribs in the fabric, and the slight ripple in the fabric of the hem.

A ‘visual diary’

It would be a mistake to think of Gartner’s work as nostalgia. There is a darker undercurrent to the stories she’s telling, and a whiff of the grotesque. Her replica of a cast for a broken arm is complete with signatures from friends saying to get well, smiley faces, and the phrase “smooth move ex-lax” in teenage scribbles, but rather than putting it on a human arm, it’s wrapped around a grub-like stump. The cast is one of several medical pieces that recreate tubes of medicine and pill bottles, and suggest struggles with pain and health.

When asked about the grotesque nature of some of the work, Gartner says, “I don’t show my work. I have an Instagram account, but for me that’s more like a visual diary, but it’s not for anyone else. [I’m] just exploring my own fascination with things that are repulsive and ugly. Maybe that all boils down to this existential, fleeting moment that we’re here in, and that we have to come to terms with our own life and death. And this ugliness, I don’t know, it kind of helps. It’s therapeutic to me to help explore the ugliness, the messiness of being human.”

Gartner also sets up vignettes that group objects together to tell a story that often has darker implications than you might imagine if you only saw the individual pieces. A haunting grouping of sculptures contains a box of Nō Dōz next to a tube of Estradiol vaginal cream, a prescription bottle for 30 Meloxicam pills with no refills inexplicably next to a 99 cent pack of Carolina Pride ham.

Another setup is an open address book, a plate of half-eaten pizza crusts, a classic green 7UP bottle, a pack of Juicy Fruit gum, a business card and a Holy Bible with a green pen on top of it.

Looking at the larger collection, it becomes apparent that Gartner is weaving a narrative from deep memories that she makes real. The pieces are recollections of her own experiences manifested in clay. The stories that her sculptures tell are so specific and personal that they becomes universal.

Gartner’s studio is not open to the public, but she occasionally hosts art events there, which she posts on social media. Her Instagram handle is @potterybarney.