As a ceramic artist, I shape the clay of the earth and thereby claim the power of the female deity who brings forth a good life of fulfillment, abundance, and wisdom. My favorite art themes are related to pleasures with purposeful references to nature and the patterns of life. I enjoy the process of working with clay because it embodies nature and makes me feel I am a part of it. I am an idealist and choose to reflect on growth, spirit, and relationships by modeling shapes that reflect the patterns of society and the expectations of others and then to juxtapose them and make my own statement. Societies tend to create a group-think and impose repeating patterns of behavior. Patterns may not appear problematic at first, but as they multiply they take over my life, and I feel controlled by them. I like interrupting, emerging from, or displacing oppressive patterns to break free and create a new and personal focal point.
My technique is to sculpt and hand-build my ceramic art pieces using rolled slabs, stacked coils, or pinched chunks of clay. I also like to use clay pressed into shapes through an extruding device (similar to making spaghetti) and then assembled into repeating patterns. I use a combination of dark and light colored stoneware for the majority of my pieces, but may occasionally use porcelain to create a piece that emphasizes a smooth texture or translucent effect. The dark and light clay colors highlight differences or changes to a pattern. Finally I use glazes to decorate my work when I want to add color and importance to the shapes.
Here is a stoneware pot I made with stamped and extruded forms (but no juxtaposition):
This little porcelain sculpture is my dog Clyde in his favorite position:
Thanks for looking today!
Bonnie
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