2023

I investigate Post-Traumatic Growth by focusing on the dichotomous theme of growth and destruction. PTG is a theory of positive transformation that can be harnessed from life trauma. My visual vocabulary is informed by observations of the natural world, including human anatomy and vegetation. These images are integrated into my biomorphic sculptures, with focal points of meticulous detail, which are hybridized forms of botanical and anatomical elements, invoking transformative and transcendent growth.

I like to alter my form with pattern. I begin by drawing on the thick walls of my pieces and then, while still soft, carve and stretch the clay following the lines. This process is like a dance with the clay, carving away from one side and adding back to another. I use a serrated metal rib to stretch the clay up and out. I am blending the surface design into the form, meshing the 2-D and 3-D. As the piece transforms, I will reassess, adding new lines, altering the rim and base until I feel the piece is complete.

I like to alter my form with pattern. I begin by drawing on the thick walls of my pieces and then, while still soft, carve and stretch the clay following the lines. This process is like a dance with the clay, carving away from one side and adding back to another. I use a serrated metal rib to stretch the clay up and out. I am blending the surface design into the form, meshing the 2-D and 3-D. As the piece transforms, I will reassess, adding new lines, altering the rim and base until I feel the piece is complete.

I see women as resilient, fierce, and courageous, and I wonder how the story of women in sculpture could change. Environ depicts a woman sitting slightly above her lover. Her dress, like armor, surrounds and protects him with an endless amount of fabric. She has created an environment for them both.

An older woman perches on an amorphous, undulating mound, calmly waiting for life to steady.

This sculpture takes aim at the ubiquitous public monuments glorifying powerful men riding high on their horses. This young woman sits triumphantly atop a bull she has subdued.

This two part incense burner beast is designed to release smoke through its nose. Hand built from porcelain, it was fired in a gas fueled soda kiln. Unglazed, the colors are a gift from the fire.

My aim is to make objects of restfulness and contemplation, holding a sense of peace, solemnity, and mystery.

From a series of open oval bowls, this piece finds its footing on a rippled textured slab, smoked to evoke sand. Fired in Wellfleet, the oyster connection is natural. The saggar fired surface is reminiscent of nacre's mother of pearl luster. The "pearl" is a thrown closed form with pieces inside that produce sound when handled.

Among those objects made by man, some are poetic and useless, others ordinary and functional. All are sources of artistic inquiry deserving consideration to engage human imagination. Our aim is to find forms inclined toward allegory and having potential for mythological thinking.Note: Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was an influential American artist from the Neo-expression movement of the 1980's.