For many people, works of visual art fall into two categories: those that look like stuff and those that don’t. Ceramicist Richard Shaw’s work falls solidly in the former. Shaw makes sculptures that very much look like stuff, so to speak. In fact, they belong to the tradition of trompe l’oeil, which literally means “fool the eye” in French. Though they appear to be assemblages of everyday material and found objects, his work is actually meticulously crafted entirely out of porcelain. They look exactly like household objects, albeit strangely arranged and grouped. He has sculpted a wedding cake bisected by an ocean liner, an artist’s sketchbook beside a skull and a series of humanoids that appear to be constructed from pencils and junk-drawer refuse. Shaw will be discussing his work as part of KQED’s “Spark! Arts Lecture Series” on Thursday, Aug. 20, with a wine and cheese reception at di Rosa Preserve. 5200 Carneros Hwy., Napa. 6:30pm. Free with reservation.Daniel Hirsch
.Aug. 20: Richard Shaw at di Rosa Preserve
