It’s been a pleasure to have my pieces on view the past two months at Valkarie Gallery and now the show is coming to an end – Sat, July 28 is the last day to view the work there. I stretched myself with this work, creating several technical challenges new to me with building ceramics and with the display itself. I also challenged myself to speak about very personal themes. I’m a private person so this does not come naturally for me, but I’ve found that it has been an authentic way to connect with viewers. We all experience loss in one way or another, and for me this show was about how to visually represent the topic on both a personal and in a universal manner.
My show statement reads:
These hand built ceramic pieces are about memory, loss and the moments in our lives when great change occurs. Family shifts or changes, parents die, houses sell and addresses change, belongings are packed up or given away. We leave pieces of ourselves behind along the way – hats, books, flower bulbs planted in the earth – and all at once we sprout roots in new places, a growing web of connection to people, places and memories. I am drawn to ceramics for its immediacy and tactile nature. These highly narrative works use cold finish techniques – instead of glazing I used painting techniques on the fired clay. The small scale, roughness and blackwash paint technique makes these works feel precious, intimate, childlike and rooted in the past.
For gallery hours and other information, including how to purchase a piece, please visit Valkarie Gallery. Thanks for your support. ML