Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1255943
Clara Hoag's Rest, 2018, from the series "A Sum of Parts," at Hooks-Epstein Galleries E ven though it was created two years, ago, Clara Hoag's Rest resonates today. No need to ask why, or utter the P or C word. The weight of the world rests heavily on the model's head, which has collapsed upon a kitchen table. The arresting photograph came about when Hoag, a Houston-based artist who's equally at home with clay and photography, hired a model from the Glassell School of Art and snapped the photograph in her studio above the old Art Supply on Main Street store. "For Rest, I had actually intended on shooting the model nude, but she arrived in such a pretty red shirt," says Hoag. "I planned to build an Athena-esque helmet for her with a complex cityscape built into the structure. I used thick foam to protect her head from the chicken wire — the foam also became a visual part of the helmet itself — and I embedded little hand-cut sculpted buildings onto the chicken wire." The helmet, however, was heavier than Hoag anticipated. "Towards the end of the photo shoot, the helmet was sliding down her head and covering her face. I improvised: I pulled up a table, tablecloth, and chair, had her take a seat, and instructed her to rest her head on the table. The ensuing images — some of the last ones I caught — we re by far the most expressive and remain some of my favorites from the project." Clara Hoag, represented by Hooks-Epstein Galleries; works from "A Sum of Parts" series funded by an artist grant from Houston Arts Alliance; $450 for 16-by-20-inch print in 21-by-25 frame; inquiries Yvonne Garcia, yvonne@hooksepsteingalleries.com. Catherine D. Anspon OUR TIMES IN CLAY COURTESY THE ARTIST AND HOOKS-EPSTEIN GALLERIES