Ceramics
I found my passion for art through ceramics, falling in love with the texture of the clay, the hum of the wheel, and the methodical process of bringing a piece from start to finish. The rhythm of clay as it spins on the wheel grounds me and I often lose myself in the process of centering, pulling, and trimming. My work builds off the elemental, raw quality of clay, working to capture natural texture and movement. Growing up in New England, much of my inspiration derives from nautical life that surrounds me, capturing the slow weathering of ocean waves and the gentle disruptions of slow currents. In addition to the sculptural work highlighted below, I also love creating functional pottery, in particular lightweight mugs that are designed to fit perfectly in the user’s hand.
This piece, titled coquilles meaning ‘shells’ in French, depicts a minimalist rendering of a weathered down shell, bearing a physical embodiment of the perpetual motion of gentle waves. The beach image captures how these pieces live in their ‘natural habitat’.
This piece, titled instantané (snapshot) captures a camera-like frame of abstract growth cropping up around a central plant.
This piece is titled croissance, which means growth. The form suggests a discarded pot left on the ocean floor, slowly becoming home to new life bursting from every seam.
limule, meaning ‘horseshoe crab’, depicts a realistic idea of a horseshoe crab just emerged from the water. Behind it lays its characteristic tracks dug into the sand.
Similarly, oursin, meaning ‘sea urchin’, depicts a realistic sea urchin carving out space around it with stark contrasting spines.
This is the culminating work of my aquatic movement study, titled atteindre, meaning ‘reaching’. In abstract, the interlocking miniatures depict deep-sea lifeforms cropping out from the pale, lightless rock. The shapes reach upwards, growing into the dark.
These last two pieces depict trees deep in the heart of the forest. The bowl, forêt which means forest, expresses the wide expanse of sky that stretches far above old pine trees.
champignons, meaning mushrooms, represents a small nature scene covered in decaying logs and mushrooms. Despite being covered in decay, this scene studies vitality in death.