Timothy the Gargoyle
Timothy the Gargoyle was sculpted by Joanie Berkwitz and introduced in 1994. He was produced in both resin and earthenware ceramic, only a handful of pieces being made in the latter originally. (The gargoyles in the first row below are some of these early gargoyles.) Due to collector demand Timothy made a reappearance in May 2015. The first batch of these new gargoyles also came with names and stories that Joanie wrote. The Gargoyle is an open run and is often sold by online Facebook "raffle", in which people comment on photos of the pieces and Joanie chooses customers at random who will be able to purchase them. Click on the pictures below for larger views.
Early Gargoyles from 1994-1995
First Batch of Gargoyles from 2015, With Stories
Luis is a reflection of gargoyles nearby, here in Southern California. San Luis Rey Mission has grey stone gargoyles, which are not as refined as Luis is, but they were adapted to the New World as carried over by the Spanish Monks. Luis, therefore, will have a Spanish tale to tell. Luis is glazed in a semi translucent grey stone glaze, with brown flecks. He is closest to an actual stone gargoyle in color and feel. To Read Luis' story, click here. |
Montmorency. From the beginning, he said that his name was Montmorency. I have no idea why, the only creature that I know of with that name is the dog in Three Men in a Boat. There is, however, an ancient French city of that name. His history will therefore reflect a French beginning. This gargoyle has a blue crackle glaze interspersed with an amber, brown, and green matte glaze. To read Montmorency's story, click here. |
Krakow is named after a city in Poland, but he will be representing all of the Eastern European gargoyles. His glaze exactly matches a photo of a wonderful crouching gargoyle on a building in Krakow, Poland. Therefore, his history will be Eastern European in origin.
Krakow has brown undertones, but green lays on top, much like the lichen and moss lay over the stone sculptures of those ancient cathedrals. His deep areas are almost metallic, they have a sheen that has an oil slick feel to it. As you turn him, he seems to change color in some way. Every photo that I took of him looks different. To read Krakow's story, click here. |
Tongshi has the feel of a bronze statue, and as the Chinese were Masters of bronze casting in ancient times, he will be representing the gargoyles of China. Tongshi means bronze lion, but apparently it can also mean history or narrative. That seemed an appropriate name, and his history will have a Chinese flavor. Tongshi is glazed in an antique metallic glaze, though it is called steel, it has warmer hues and a bronze luster. To read Tongshi's story, click here. |
Giza was a bit of a puzzle, as befits his name. He most reminds me of the Sphinx, since he has a sandstone color in his glaze. Giza is representing the Egyptian stone statues that still, to this day, fire our imaginations. His history will, therefore, have an Egyptian influence.
Giza was glazed twice. His first glaze was a simple matte sand colored glaze, but after the successes of layering the others, I added some crackle and some other layers. The crackle blue glaze, interacting with the sand color underneath, is now both blue and green, giving him an interesting effect that is not well shown in the photos. To read Giza's story, click here. |
Komainu is from Japan, where his blue crackle glaze reminds us of the beautiful Asian pottery that was so coveted two centuries ago. If you are familiar with Japanese, you will see that the second half of his name reflects the 'dog', and indeed he is representing the guardian lions or dogs that protect many Shinto shrines. Therefore, Komainu will have a Japanese twist to his history.
Komainu has a blue crackle glaze, with the crackles enhanced by careful rubbing of ink into the cracks. His glaze is pooled into the deep areas, and very light in the high areas. He is so distinctly Asian in feel, that he couldn't be anything else. To read Komainu's story, click here. |
Sevres gave me the most trouble, he didn't want to be categorized. He rejected a single origin, so it took some reflection to hear his name. In the end, it was because he didn't have one origin, he had two. Asian pottery, from his blue crackle glaze, and French silver work, from his silver metallic highlights. Asian porcelain, more precious than gold, was imported to many European countries, and some of it was carefully set into gold or silver frames or accents. Sevres, then, will tell the story of porcelain importation on the high seas, and its ultimate fate as the ornamentation of Royalty. Sevres is one of the factories that set porcelain into metal.
His blue crackle glaze overlays the silver, which in some areas is matte, and in others it breaks green. To read Sevre's story, click here. |
Mechelen is a celebration of chocolate, being named after a city in Antwerp, Belgium that has gargoyles but also has a history of chocolate. His blue crackle glaze is interspersed with a brown translucent that puddles green in deep areas, it looks like his face and paws are covered after a feast of chocolate. His history will have the flavor of Belgium, a flavor that most of us can appreciate! To read Mechelen's story, click here. |
Gargoyles with Accessories
Gargoyle alcove
Incense Burner Pond
Wings
Gargoyles from Later Batches
Lavan
Allet
Arepa
Crespin
Monet
Yanni
Paga
Palla
All photos by Joanie Berkwitz with the exception of the grey green gargoyle in the top row, which was taken by G. Berg, and the earth tone gargoyle on the wooden tabletop, M. Turnipseed. Thanks!!