Artist Statement
Clay and the continued exploration of materiality is the foundation of my process, I work with various media and with several pieces at once. My pieces are figural and abstracted, allowing the process to lead me. What intrigues me about the human form is its ability to hold complex messages and mysteries while being universally familiar and comforting.
As a student, I attended Alfred University for Ceramic Art. It was a mecca of creative abundance, and I felt honored to be there. The experience brought forth the life- changing realization that art was an integral part of my vitality. It was a gift I needed to protect and cherish. However I was concerned that relying on it for income would be destructive. I had a fierce drive for financial independence fueled by my parents’ divorce. So I held my art close to my chest and pursued a career as a psychotherapist. Today, creativity and psychology deeply inform my creative process.
My practice as a psychotherapist and my life experiences provided me with a profound realization: far too many women have little to no sense of their innate value and power. I recognize how destructive this has been for women, men and families. My creative journey aims to shine a bright light on the rich complexities of womanhood. I’m not interested in addressing generic equality or entertaining the idea that females wear valued male attributes like stretched out, oversized hand me downs. My art examines, expands, unburies and elevates that which is feminine. I recognize that male and female attributes are not binary. They flow on a vast spectrum and are shared and gifted to both men and women.
Currently I’m focusing on a series of female power symbols. Each figure embodies and embraces a valued feminine trait, such as intuition, connectivity, emotion, wonder and color. The pieces are life size and pedestals elevate them above eye level establishing their position of reverence. Their bold upright nature is attributed to their charged force to rise up. As they ascend they often have the grace and desire to turn their gaze downward and connect with the viewer. They are imbued with questions, puzzles, humor, symbols and embellishments that flow from, through and around them. They are meant to evoke a dialogue with the audience that beckons the viewers, both women and men, to share in a journey of abundance, disorientation, validity and possibly provide an opportunity for personal resolve.
