josé c. sierra josé c. Sierra
SHERRY LEEDY CONTEMPORARY ART
jungle of GOLD Jungle of gold
JUNGLE OF
Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art
2004 Baltimore Ave. Kansas City, MO 64108
Gallery Director: Sherry Leedy
Catalog Design: Celina Curry
Find us at: sherryleedy.com
IG: @sherryleedycontemporaryart
FB: @sherryleedycontemporaryart
Cover art: SLG-010
This page (clockwise from top left):
SEPTEMBER
JOSé SIERRA
SEPTEMBER 5 - OCTOBER 25, 2025
JUNGLE OF GOLD
Drawing inspiration from the landscapes he inhabits and the emotions they evoke, New Mexico-based artist José C. Sierra transmutes the memory, emotion, and physicality of his environments into hybrid ceramic forms, with rich surfaces complemented by vibrant details. Born on a coffee farm in the Venezuelan Andes, Sierra’s memories of intensely colored mountains, exuberant tropical flora and the objects in his surroundings, from coffee mills to pre-hispanic art and architecture, are intertwined with inspiration from the prickly geometry of cacti to the granite mountains of the Southwestern deserts.
Sierra states: “As I gathered the pieces for this show, I found myself immersed in a jungle of gold. A few years back, when working in Versailles, I was similarly surrounded by an abundance of gold surfaces and royal blue. At the Chateau and beyond, I was struck by the quantity of gold adorning the finest structures and objects, and the use of color and luster to signify wealth. As a Venezuelan, I was reminded of my lush homeland, and our coveted gold, which remains under our feet, as well as our own exuberant tropical greens and floral adornments. This body of work contemplates these riches and their relationships. In my creative dialog with the pieces and their surfaces, each with its own personality and structure, the exuberant and voluminous forms called for tropical opulence.” •
José Sierra was born in Mérida, Venezuela in 1975. While José is a self-taught artist, he was introduced to ceramics at the University of the Andes in Mérida, Venezuela from 1993-1996, where he learned the basic skills of mixing clay, glazes, as well as wheel throwing. In 1996, José began working professionally as an artist in Mérida, Venezuela. In 2000, José moved to the United States, where he dedicated himself to both sculpture and pottery. José currently resides in New Mexico where he is a studio ceramicist.
, stoneware with matte glaze and gold luster, 25” x 21” x 20”
SLG-001
SLG-015, stoneware with matte glaze, 7” x 13.5” x 8.5”
, stoneware with matte glaze, 7”
SLG-013
x 13” x 10”
SLG-007, stoneware with matte glaze and gold luster, 14” x 18” x 16”
SLG-021, stoneware with matte
SLG-029, stoneware with matte glaze, 4” x 5.5” x 5”
matte glaze, 4.5” x 6” x 5.5”
SLG-028, stoneware with matte glaze, 4.5” x 6” x 6”
SLG-010, stoneware with matte glaze and gold luster, 13” x 18” x 18”
SLG-002, stoneware with matte glaze, 25” x 19” x 19”
SLG-008, stoneware with matte glaze
glaze and gold luster, 10” x 18” x 18”
SLG-032, stoneware with matte glaze, 4.5” x 6” x 6”
SLG-023, stoneware with
SLG-025, stoneware with matte glaze, 4.5” x 6” x 5.5”
with matte glaze, 4” x 6” x 6”
SLG-004, stoneware with matte glaze and gold luster, 25” x 23” x 20”
SLG-009, stoneware with matte glaze and gold luster, 10.5” x 16” x 12”
SLG-030, stoneware with matte glaze, 4” x 8” x 5”
SLG-013, stoneware with matte glaze, 7” x 13” x 10”
SLG-003, stoneware with matte glaze, 25.5” x 20”
x 14”
SLG-026, stoneware with matte glaze, 4.5” x 6” x 6”
SLG-033, stoneware with matte
SLG-027, stoneware with matte glaze, 4.5” x 6” x 6”
matte glaze, 4” x 7” x 5.5”
SLG-020, stoneware with matte glaze, 6” x 12” x 9”
SLG-016, stoneware with matte glaze, 6” x 11” x 9”
SLG-006, stoneware with matte glaze and gold luster, 15” x 18” x 18”
SLG-011, stoneware with matte glaze, 6” x 8” x 7”
SLG-012, stoneware with matte glaze, 6” x 11” x 6”
SLG-005, stoneware with matte glaze and gold luster, 25” x 20” x 20”
SLG-018, stoneware with matte glaze, 5” x 10” x 7”
, stoneware with matte glaze, 7” x 13” x 9”
SLG-019
SLG-017, stoneware with matte glaze, 10” x 14” x 11”
SLG-022, stoneware with matte glaze, 4” x 7” x 6”
SLG-031, stoneware with matte
SLG-024, stoneware with matte glaze, 4” x 6” x 6”
matte glaze, 4” x 6” x 5.5”
