Artist Statement
The art making process embodies the human spirit and becomes a metaphor for the self. The human spirit moves through transitions that are similar to the ceramic process. We shift and twist to accommodate our daily struggles. We have tenuous fragile moments much like the bone dry state of clay before firing. We have moments of unbreakable confidence similar to when clay turns to stoneware after
a firing.
I keep these various stages in mind as I approach my most current body of work. I draw connections between my own states of being in relation to my work with clay. The act of using different materials and tools to carve out layers of the clay on the vessel mirrors the revelation of the inner self. Using all the states of clay in my installations; wet, leather hard, green ware, and fired, I treat the surface of the vessel as if it where my skin. The vessel becomes my own body, and the water I throw with represents my own blood. The blood holds my identity, my DNA, and my reason for being. No matter how much we change in appearance, we cannot change who we are.
a firing.
I keep these various stages in mind as I approach my most current body of work. I draw connections between my own states of being in relation to my work with clay. The act of using different materials and tools to carve out layers of the clay on the vessel mirrors the revelation of the inner self. Using all the states of clay in my installations; wet, leather hard, green ware, and fired, I treat the surface of the vessel as if it where my skin. The vessel becomes my own body, and the water I throw with represents my own blood. The blood holds my identity, my DNA, and my reason for being. No matter how much we change in appearance, we cannot change who we are.
