{"id":2645,"date":"2025-10-21T10:10:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T17:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=2645"},"modified":"2025-10-21T10:10:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T17:10:13","slug":"shae-bishop-bucks-cowboy-traditions-with-floral-ceramic-garments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=2645","title":{"rendered":"Shae Bishop Bucks Cowboy Traditions with Floral Ceramic Garments"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Shae<\/p>\n

Ceramics and textiles share several traditions. Both media have long occupied the realm of craft, are often functional, and tend to be tied to narrative and storytelling, whether sharing in family lore or communicating something about their owner.<\/p>\n

For Shae Bishop<\/a>, combining the two offers a way to tether the enduring and universal with the intimate and personal. The Richmond-based artist has spent more than a decade creating innumerable ceramic tiles that he stitches together into bandanas, suits, and other garments. \u201cBy merging the materials and fitting them to my body, I was seeking to merge the personal with the historical, to locate myself and my individual narrative within the larger story of human culture,\u201d he tells Colossal.<\/p>\n

\"Shae
\u201cWaistcoat of Earthly Delights\u201d (2021), ceramic, underglaze, wool, poly satin, PE braid, wire. Photo by Loam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bishop\u2019s garments have evolved in complexity and embellishment during the last 14 years, as he gravitates toward art historical narratives and the self-mythologizing associated with cowboy culture. Pieces like \u201cWaistcoat of Earthly Delights\u201d reference Hieronymus Bosch\u2019s famous triptych<\/a> and its alternative realities. Long interested in the human-nature relationship, Bishop draws on Bosch\u2019s biblical retelling as a way to \u201creimagine our fraught interactions with strange and misunderstood creatures like giant salamanders and venomous snakes,\u201d as he adorns a vest with a pair of white serpents and vivid flowers.<\/p>\n

A peek at Bishop\u2019s Instagram<\/a> reveals a deep reverence for snakes\u2014there are several images of the artist with vipers draped around his neck and arms\u2014 and an interest in reinventing the fear and animosity associated with the creatures, which he hopes to present instead as \u201ca hero, an icon, and an ecological ambassador.\u201d <\/p>\n

This intention emerges, in part, through more performative works like the turquoise, fringe-lined \u201cRhinestone Rattlesnakeboy Suit.\u201d Bishop often wears the elaborate getup while stationed inside a booth and handling a snake, a performance evoking entertainment ventures like Buffalo Bill\u2019s Wild West Show and the Roy Rogers Show.<\/p>\n

The artist also frequently photographs himself out in the wild, whether knee-deep in a swampy landscape or perched atop a horse. These immersive images add another layer to the performative aspect of the project and reinforce the world-building and storytelling capacity that fashion has.<\/p>\n

\"Shae
\u201cRhinestone Rattlesnakeboy Suit.\u201d Photo by Jack Mauch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course, cowboy and Western culture are deeply entwined with American identity and masculinity, and Bishop reflects on these influences as he creates floral chaps and fringed hats. He adds: <\/p>\n

\n

I like the tension between utility and conservatism on one hand and idiosyncratic flamboyance on the other hand. The colorful floral outfits of country music history and the high heels and ornate leatherwork of cowboy boots are such unique expressions of culture. And I look at darker elements like toxic masculinity and a gleeful love of fossil fuels. I also put myself into this work. I try to be self-critical and interrogate my own love-hate relationship with these cowboy tropes, while still keeping a sense of humor.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cRhinestone Rattlesnakeboy Suit\u201d is on view through next September at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in an exhibition devoted to state fairs. This winter, Bishop will show pieces at Belger Arts in Kansas City and the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and he\u2019s currently working on a collection of ceramic diving helmets, along with leather shoes. Find more on his website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a
Detail of \u201cWaistcoat of Earthly Delights\u201d (2021), ceramic, underglaze, wool, poly satin, PE braid, wire. Photo by Loam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Shae
Detail of \u201cEternal Cowboy\u201d (2021), ceramic, underglaze, glaze, PE braid, canvas, leather, brass. Photo by Myles Pettengill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Shae
\u201cA Swimsuit To Wear While Looking For Hellbenders\u201d (2020), ceramic, wool, PE braid. Photo by Myles Pettengill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Shae
\u201cBandana\u201d (2022), ceramic, underglaze, PE fiber. Photo by Loam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Shae
Detail of \u201cRhinestone Rattlesnakeboy Suit.\u201d Photo by Jack Mauch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Shae
\u201cShorts To Wear While Looking For Pythons\u201d (2019), ceramic, underglaze, glaze, PE fiber, cotton, leather, brass. Photo by Hannah Patterson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Shae
\u201cEternal Cowboy\u201d (2021), ceramic, underglaze, glaze, PE braid, canvas, leather, brass. Photo by Myles Pettengill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Shae
\u201cShirt\u201d (2016), porcelain, underglaze, glaze, canvas, PE fiber, 32 x 18 x 9 inches. Photo by Mercedes Jelinek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"the
Detail of \u201cShirt\u201d (2016),
porcelain, underglaze, glaze, canvas, PE fiber, 32 x 18 x 9 inches. Photo by Mercedes Jelinek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Shae Bishop Bucks Cowboy Traditions with Floral Ceramic Garments<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ceramics and textiles share several traditions. Both media have long occupied the realm of craft, are often functional, and tend to be tied to narrative and storytelling, whether sharing in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}