Artist Statement
My current body of work explores clay as a medium for questioning our relationships; relationships we have with one another, with the world around us, and with ourselves. Sculptures start out as inquiries on interconnectedness, self-isolation, and protection; I explore how these themes can be expressed through form and color. As I construct them, evolving forms prompt profound introspection in ways that alter how I think and feel about my place in and relationship with society and self. This evolution in form and thinking informs my decisions within and between sculptures. Each piece is a discovery of personal meaning reflected in weight, movement, and strength of the forms and lines.
My pieces are composed of pulled handles, an integral appendage of utilitarian ware for holding onto and carrying liquid nourishment. I take these forms out of their functional context, and instead use them as mediums to carry ideas about community, belonging and relating.
Through conscious and subconscious manipulation of the physical qualities of the handles, and how they connect to and interact with the handles around them, I craft a narrative in form that reflects my internal reality and lived experience. While some handles are wide, grounded and weight-bearing, others are delicate, hanging on. Some connections are blended smooth, resolute, while others seem fleeting, barely interacting. The process of assembling the handles entails a dialogue between me and the evolving lines and forms. The sculptures become a record of my thoughts and feelings on the relational theme while in the midst of making.
Through this work I encourage viewers to reflect on their own relationships with their inner lives, with others, and with the environments they inhabit. To recognize themselves in the work, the parts they've lost, the parts they've gained. I hope people will immerse themselves in these sculptures and all the little moments in them, recognizing how the little moments make up so much of the volume of our lives.