Altarpiece Reliquary202611 x" 16" x 22"Mixed media
Working on a new piece that's going to take a little longer than usual....luckily I don't have any deadline to finish this. I'll try to add new photos as this project unfolds. In the meantime, you can see the images I've had on my mind while dreaming this piece up. So far it's been both a complicated puzzle to figure out (in particular the light design), and a complete joy to work on.
Please note - this piece will not include the use of any portion of an American Kestrel - not feathers or bone or beak. That would be illegal, and for good reason - so the Kestrel is just a moving image to me.
Lovely fiddleback and quartersawn maple for this piece, and hopefully a magical interior? Perhaps you can look at the photos and start to put together this piece in your own mind's eye.
Altarolos are reliquary cabinets that are found on Catholic altars throughout Europe. These pieces often reflect the architecture of the bigger space they're found in - the idea of using "microarchitecture" to create the sense of the sacred in devotional artworks that I find so fascinating as a maker.
Still undecided about what will lie inside. Can't wait to turn the lights on though. Trying hard to figure out how I can make the delight I get from any creature in flight...tangible?
All images © 2019 - 2026 Charles F. Pitz
