For when you can't decide between #FishFriday and #FrogFriday:
David Gilhooly (American, 1943-2013) Merfrog and her Pet Fish, 1979 white earthenware & glazes, 7 x 6 x 7 3⁄8 in. (17.8 x 15.2 x 18.7 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum & Renwick Gallery 2007.47.12
"David Gilhooly made his first ceramic frog during a friendly mug-making competition among classmates at the University of California–Davis. This inspired the artist to create a whole civilization composed entirely of frogs, ranging from Napoleon-inspired frog busts to frog-Egyptian gods. Gilhooly originally thought about making pigs, but decided not to, stating: "The trouble with making a PigWorld rather than the FrogWorld was that pigs are 'loaded.' That is, people have a lot of negative ideas that are attached to pigs...." In Merfrog and her Pet Fish, Gilhooly refers to one of his favorite themes, fertility, by creating an absurdly voluptuous frog surrounded by devoted singing companions." (Artist's website, www.davidgilhooly.com, January 2006)
