Behind Closed Doors
By Karen S. Chambers
Photography by Edward Biamonte

Large-scale ceramic pieces by Beth Cavener Stitcher, including “Small Lives,” hold pride of place in this collection.

Behind the doors of an unremarkable house in one of Phoenix’s many gated communities that favor conformity in style over creativity lies a surprise: a collection of ceramics that is challenging and confrontational, disquieting and sometimes even disturbing.

From the front door the dining table is visible, with Beth Cavener Stichter’s “Small Lives” centerpiece setting the tone for the rest of the collection. Sitting on their haunches, the artist’s larger-than-life-size hares face off on the tabletop. If luck were determined by size, their large back feet would guarantee a record-breaking lotto win. With heads stretching upward like coyotes baying at the moon, these creatures are miles away from any cute cottontail.

A pit-fired tulip vessel by Glen Nipshank is displayed in the dining room.

Another Stichter sculpture, “Object Lesson: Dissension,” dominates the living room. A ghostly white, full-size goat is hoisted in a sling by a winch anchored in the ceiling, counter-balanced by a full-scale wooden barrel. Again, Stichter has created a disturbing and enigmatic tableau.