Artist Statement
Artist Statement
Everything is temporary. Dealing with this profound notion leaves one with a lot to process. There is beauty in perseverance. It is defiance in the face of inevitable decomposition. Metals oxidize if exposed to the elements, oil paintings crack and fade without continued maintenance. Clay is commonplace, rudimentary, but when it’s fired; clay endures.
Almost all cultures leave ceramic markers, informing us of their lived experience. People saw the wisdom in utilizing the earthen material to create, and millennium later the human collective knowledge is enriched by it. Sumerians storing excess grain in jars eventually lead to a numbering system that became the root for western mathematics. Clay tablets were the birthplace of Indo-European language and were used for early international communication. The oldest ceramic object is a Venus figure that alludes to an understanding and worship of the cycle of creation and destruction.
There are many reasons why clay is my preferred media. I find it much easier to manipulate than wood or metal. The firing process can feel almost mystical when seeing the varied colors of flames in reduction. The main reason for choosing ceramic media might be hubristic. I find joy in knowing my artifacts will persist. Whether I’m creating works to visually communicate ideas, experimenting with form and color, or meditating on functional objects; moments of my existence are encapsulated in clay. The documentation of my life will last well beyond my return to the earth.
Everything is temporary. Dealing with this profound notion leaves one with a lot to process. There is beauty in perseverance. It is defiance in the face of inevitable decomposition. Metals oxidize if exposed to the elements, oil paintings crack and fade without continued maintenance. Clay is commonplace, rudimentary, but when it’s fired; clay endures.
Almost all cultures leave ceramic markers, informing us of their lived experience. People saw the wisdom in utilizing the earthen material to create, and millennium later the human collective knowledge is enriched by it. Sumerians storing excess grain in jars eventually lead to a numbering system that became the root for western mathematics. Clay tablets were the birthplace of Indo-European language and were used for early international communication. The oldest ceramic object is a Venus figure that alludes to an understanding and worship of the cycle of creation and destruction.
There are many reasons why clay is my preferred media. I find it much easier to manipulate than wood or metal. The firing process can feel almost mystical when seeing the varied colors of flames in reduction. The main reason for choosing ceramic media might be hubristic. I find joy in knowing my artifacts will persist. Whether I’m creating works to visually communicate ideas, experimenting with form and color, or meditating on functional objects; moments of my existence are encapsulated in clay. The documentation of my life will last well beyond my return to the earth.
