This series is focused on the development of a self-concept and ways it might manifest in physical form. My art has always been strongly driven by emotion, memory, and my mental state at a given time. Since high school, ceramic process has been a form of meditation that has facilitated a better understanding of myself as well as my relationships with others. My intention with this body of work was to create forms that serve as a physical representation of something that I otherwise could not express, such as emotions, reactions, and experiences that felt crucial to my development. I find these feelings interesting because I cannot always put specific memories to them, but I know that I have felt them before. It is as if the experience left me with a visceral response to some stimulus even though the actual event has faded from my memory. For this reason, the physical manifestations of the forms work to represent memories or husks of the actual experiences rather than the emotions themselves. Nature has also served as an important visual reference as the forms evoke skulls or the remnants of a cocoon like structure-organic matter in a state of decomposition that was once much more.
I have recently discovered a fascination with artists attempts to depict things that can’t be seen – Kandinsky’s attempts to depict ether (the space between matter), or Boccioni’s attempt to depict the movement of air around a figure. This is similar to how my forms work to capture the feeling, past or present, that I associate with them. This is achieved by considering what the forms symbolically convey through their physical attributes. Some are strong and sturdy while others are fragile and airy; some seem to be self-contained while others reach out and expand; some are abrasive, yet others are soft. Ultimately, my representation of these forms is highly subjective, but I think that people can relate to these looming subconscious reactions and feelings. I do not intend to offer a universally accepted depiction of individual experience but, rather, use evocative forms that the viewer can apply to their own experience. Transformation is also an important aspect of my work. The transformation of a raw material, such as clay, into something that I find capable of creating a powerful emotional response like transforming experiences into emotions, memories, and reactions; or transforming something painful into something comforting. As I work, I focus on the intangible feeling that I am trying to depict and imagine what it would look like if I could condense it and make it solid. I work until I achieve a resonance between the form and the sense of emotion I want it to evoke, creating a connection that I can only describe as empathy for the object in its ability to convey these personal emotions. Post quarantine: Initially I was very concerned about trying to continue this series at home. My plans for these forms had to change pretty quickly because I did not have access to the same glazes or the same prospects for displaying these pieces. I had intended for them to be seen in the round but having to take pictures of them meant that a comparatively small section of the piece would be seen. The best thing that came of this was definitely gaining access to a large forest for me to take pictures in because I had always imagined these forms as being part of nature. |