Description
‘Titania’ by Shelby Clark
Artist: Shelby Clark
Title: ‘Titania’
Medium: Acrylic and polymer clay
Dimensions: 8.5″ x 15.5″ x 3″
Framing: N/A
Year of Creation: 2024
About the Artwork:
‘Titania’ incorporates elements from Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ into one of my regular characters: the wolf and seal hybrid. In this piece, I added various accents as nods to the play, such as a crown to represent the queen of the fairies, Titania herself, and various mushrooms and acorns to represent the woods where pivotal scenes take place. This setting in particular not only symbolizes a place of magic and transformation, but also, a place separate from society, full of freedom and chaos.
Tension in the play is derived from the opposition between reality and magic, so in addition to the morel and turkey tail mushrooms, I opted to include the flower from the play, which initially grew white, but transformed into purple upon being struck by Cupid’s arrow. The color is described as the effect of “love’s wound” in Act II, Scene 1, and is likewise the reason behind the purple moth on the piece.
Finally, the moon tucked behind the purple flower represents both the time of night in which much of the play occurs, but similarly the line, “…the moon, methinks, looks with a watery eye; and when she weeps, weeps every little flower, lamenting…” from Act III, Scene I.
As a literature major turned sculptor, this piece enabled me to combine my love of written stories with my love of visual art, and as is the case with all of Shakespeare’s work, I find something new to appreciate on each reread. – Shelby Clark
About the Artist:
(Artist Bio)
Shelby Clark is a sculptor originally from Pass Christian, Mississippi. She received her BA in English Literature from Flagler College in 2020, where she also minored in Environmental Science and Creative Writing. Following her graduation, Clark began working with polymer clay. Since then, she has been honored to be included in various group shows across the country. In August 2023 she placed as a finalist in the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize Founders’ Emerging Artist category.
In addition to sculpting, Clark is a published poet with works most recently featured in the New Orleans Review, Rougarou: Journal of Arts and Literature, and the Nashville Review. She currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her fiancé, dogs, cats, and hedgehog.