Abjurement, 2018, Ceramic and Enamel, 14 x 14 x 14 in 
Evocator, 2018, Ceramic and Enamel, 18 x 20 x 18 in 
Callow, 2018, Ceramic and Enamel, 12 x 16 x 12 in 
Cobble, 2019, Ceramic and Enamel, 14 x 15 x 15 in 
Objective Show Installation, 2018 
Objective Show Installation, 2018 
Foresight, 2019, Ceramic and Enamel, 16 x 16 x 15 in 
Replicator, 2019, Ceramic and Enamel, 14 x 14 x 14 in 
Spline, 2019, Ceramic, Gypsum, Enamel, 14 x 11 x 12 in 
Kindred, 2020, Ceramic and enamel, 15 x 24 x 15.5 in, Photo: Joe Kramm 
Foreman, 2021, Ceramic and enamel, 19.5 x 21.5 x 15 in, Photo: Joe Kramm 
Smudge, 2021, Ceramic and Enamel, 13 x 21 x 19 in, Photo: Joe Kramm
John Shea: Selected works, 2018-2021
The work is a reflection of my own personal interest in the way that abstraction acts as both an indicator of individual as well as a kind of collective meaning that coalesces around random matter. Working with the idea that abstraction is built not on resemblance but rather the disparate nature of the elements that make it up. That the power of abstraction comes from the ability to have a coherent whole despite the tensions inherent in disparate components. I want the pieces to be both something that is and isn’t recognizable at the same time. Focusing on disruptions in form, each piece looks to remind us of something it is not, and tries to get us to see the object for what it really is.
