Beneath the surface

Medium Description

 paper, clay, textured, rolling, pin, low fire  glazes, prepared pressmold

Artist Description

This sculptural  female torso was created using paperclay. Before forming the piece, I impressed flat slab rolled clay with a textured, rolling pin, creating delicate floral patterns that symbolize the beauty, complexity, and resilience found within each individual. The clay was pressed into a  mold I have assembled as a pressmold with 2 parts. 

Once the front and back sections were joined, I altered the form by ripping away areas of clay and incorporating a hidden cache within the abdomen. this concealed space serves as a metaphor for the private emotions, memories, and experiences we all carry beneath the surface, inviting viewers to pause and contemplate what remains unseen.

The sculpture was slowly bisque fired before being glazed in a kaleidoscope of colors representing the wide spectrum of human emotion. It was then Raku fired in a propane kiln. During the post firing reduction process, smoked, blackened the glazed Clay, and penetrated the crackled glaze and creating intricate black lines that enhance the richly textured surface. The unpredictable nature of Raku  contributes to the uniqueness of each piece, reflecting the imperfect, beautiful journey of life

The finished work, celebrates, inner strength, vulnerability, and transformation, reminding us that our most meaningful stories are often the ones hidden beneath the surface.