Artist Statement
I am a very emotional person and have been told in the past that being overly emotional makes me weak. I believe that humans’ strong emotions set us apart from other living beings. Our empathy for others impacts us in significant ways. My aim is to illustrate, through ceramic sculpture, this cause and effect. I am communicating the effect others have had on me and the intangible ways that I have effected change in others. It is very important to me to analyze these personal relationships and extreme changes and the transformations they create. I explore these relationships and reactions using posture, facial expression, color, and interaction between clay forms.
I have chosen porcelain, a white clay body, to give my work a soft and delicate feel, and mimic the fragility of relationships. Sometimes the meaning is emphasized through a touch of gold or a flash of color. I use subtle details to hint towards much greater meaning. We change and grow throughout our lives in response to the way we are treated. Showing those reactions and process of change, although challenging, leads to a better understanding of my own emotions and the emotions of those around me.
Through creating this body of work, I have learned more about myself. I have always worried about the way others viewed me. By making self-portraits and work about very personal thoughts and experiences, I have learned that some people are always going to judge me while others respect and appreciate me. This body of work pushes this contrasting dynamic. Many of these sculptures evoke extreme responses in different ways. One viewer may see pleasure, while another sees pain; one sees empowerment while another sees aggression. Emotions are not always concrete entities; therefore my exploration of this diverse and complex theme will continue to guide my creative process.
I have chosen porcelain, a white clay body, to give my work a soft and delicate feel, and mimic the fragility of relationships. Sometimes the meaning is emphasized through a touch of gold or a flash of color. I use subtle details to hint towards much greater meaning. We change and grow throughout our lives in response to the way we are treated. Showing those reactions and process of change, although challenging, leads to a better understanding of my own emotions and the emotions of those around me.
Through creating this body of work, I have learned more about myself. I have always worried about the way others viewed me. By making self-portraits and work about very personal thoughts and experiences, I have learned that some people are always going to judge me while others respect and appreciate me. This body of work pushes this contrasting dynamic. Many of these sculptures evoke extreme responses in different ways. One viewer may see pleasure, while another sees pain; one sees empowerment while another sees aggression. Emotions are not always concrete entities; therefore my exploration of this diverse and complex theme will continue to guide my creative process.