• What is the concept or basic theme of your Senior Show?

            Impulses from our primal animal past exist within the depths of our unconscious; they wait for chances to slip through our external façade. The sculptures I will create focus on the human condition and our underlying psyche, expressed through animal and human forms. I will focus on how the animal instincts of fear, anger, and despair and the human influence of courage, love, and hope mingle and ultimately prevail over the darker animal impulses. Structurally the sculptures are simple, stripped down to the clean lines of underlying structures, they will be stylized and androgynously stripped of true human individuality, but full of context based on the human tendencies of fear, the lack of understanding oneself, and other states of the human mind.

            I will rely on body language and animal connections to create movement and to emphasize the metaphors I want to convey. I want to use my anthropomorphic sculptures to play with the awkward edge between what is human and what is animalistic. My subjects will represent a human psychological portrayal of not only myself, but our society.

• How are these themes embodied in your work?

            The theme, what is human and what is animalistic, will be embodied within the literal image of the pieces; the morphing and merging of the human into the animal and vice versus. The use of animals from every day encounters and folklore will embody the specific metaphor of each piece. While the human aspect of each piece will be more universal and less individual, an idealized androgynous version of humanity; I don’t want to put a specific face on the figures, but instead create a work that will cause the audience to place themselves within the subjects.

• How do you plan to execute your idea? In what media will you be working?

            I plan to use my handbuilding capabilities to create my subjects. I will build each piece solid from premade clay using armatures that I will construct to give extra support while wet. Then sculpt down to a generic form and cut it in half. I will hollow out the entire piece and reconnect the halves before starting any detail work. The finished piece will be completely hollow and honeycombed on the inside allowing it to be lighter and dry at an even rate.  I will be working in clay for my senior show.

• Why are you creating this work?

            I want to use my sculptures to play with the awkward edge between what is human and what is animalistic. Wondering what goes on in the human mind and body has been a driving force in my exploration of the union of form and motion that animal and human bodies imply. This series is a way to challenge myself by focusing on different anatomies and ideas all at once. It is also a chance for me to hone my craft in a cohesive body of work.

• How is your concept original and why is it significant?

            From what I have learned in my studies, nothing is completely original. Everything has been done before at some time in some way. My concept of the human condition has been presented throughout the ages, from the Hellenistic Greeks to the Renaissance Masters. The manner in which I am presenting my concept is different from much that I have seen in the Art world. The combination of animal and human forms in one entity relating back to the idea of humanity has not been explored in a main-stream form in the same way I am interested in exploring.  It is significant for me because, it is an issue that is ever present and has always intrigued me; this will be my interpretation of the taboo we place around defining who and what we are as a species. My subjects will portray the situation of being human.

• How does it relate to your work as a whole? Where does your work fit in current contemporary art?

            Most of my ceramic work revolves around animal forms and how they relate back to the functional item they are or the idea they invoke. I am very interested in the underlying structure and angles of muscles and how they can change the overall feelings of a piece. This body of work will be the zenith of all my studies and experiences. I’m not sure I can define exactly where my work would fit in the contemporary art world. I feel that is something that would have to be determined after everything is done and I can take a step back.

• How do form, materials used, and technique best communicate your concept?

            My concept will be communicated through the use of specific forms based on body language and different anatomies of the animals and humans utilized. I will construct my work from clay, I feel clay gives off a more solid and expressive sensation within the form of body structures. Clay can feel deep and “fleshy” when used in the right way. I will use my handbuilding capabilities to help create my concept. Handbuilding solid gives a finished look of stability and complexity that some other forms of building lack.

• What are the sources of your imagery?

A few of my sources include human anatomy books, animal field guides, internet search engines, music, and traditional and contemporary Folklore and Fairytales from around the world.

• Name and describe the influence specific artists and/ or movements have had on your growth and style

• Beth Cavener Stichter – her recent work focuses on the animal form and how it encases tangible emotions. She builds these large ceramic animals solid, sometimes rebuilding them within her kiln. Conceptually and formally she has been a substantial influence, the loose “sketchy” way she leaves the forms gives them intensity. The way she builds has helped me trouble-shoot through some tough projects and has contributed to the way my style has matured.

• Hellenistic Greek Art – The works produced at this time revolve around the beauty of the human body and the perfection that the artist can obtain in the creation of his work. I never really realized how much the Hellenistic Greek period influenced my own work until I took the Art 3510 class. The use of muscles and subtle and sometimes dramatic body language to create movement and dialogue within each piece is what I am interested in with all of my works. I don’t necessarily want extreme realism, but a sense of life that the Greeks were able to achieve.

• Pop Art –The works produced tend to constitute reflections about the experience of mass culture: repetition, information overload, sensuality, anonymity, alienation from deep emotional encounters. Though not apparent in my work I have been influenced by Pop Art. The ability to speak about public situations and how the imagery reflects a playfully distant distaste of the circumstances has influenced the way I look at my own artwork and the world as a whole. I can look at objects through two sets of filters, one fine art and one public consumerism.                                                                                                                

• Kevin “Turkey” Merck – Turkey is a Georgian Folk Potter, he creates beautifully expressive face jugs and animal sculptures. I was fortunate enough to work alongside him this past summer (2011) as an intern. His style and experience has definitely inspired and influenced many of the ways I now research ideas and how I perceive my initial forms.

• Richard Shaw – Shaw works mainly with Trompe-l'oeil ceramics. It is his attention to detail and craftsmanship that has influenced the way that I finish my own artwork.

• Kate MacDowell – her work revolves around humans in mythology and in different circumstances that ultimately relate back to the fragility of organic life; animals and plants. She handbuilds with a porcelain clay and fires her work only to a mid-range temperature. MacDowell’s representations of her metaphors have influenced the way in which I create my sculptural work.

• Lindsay Feuer – Feuer’s work focuses on the organic forms of flora and the hybrid cross contamination that can result from too much overproduction. Like MacDowell she works with porcelain clay, but high fires her work without glaze on it. Her attention to detail and craftsmanship has influenced me like Shaw and her overall forms have inspired much of my sculptural pieces like MacDowell, she is a happy middle ground between the two.

• These other artists have not so much influenced me specifically, but have inspired my work in different ways.
  • Rebekah Bogard
  • Lisa Clague
  • Holly Fischer
  •  Adrian Arleo
  • Nan Smith
  • Doug Jeck
  • Marilyn Lysohir
  • Christina Cordova
  • Christina West
  • Christyl Boger
  • Walter McConnell
  • Adelaide Paul
  • Joe Bova
  • Darien O. Johnson
  • Wendy Walgate
  • Alessandro Gallo

• What is the scale of your pieces, how many do you intend to exhibit, and how do they relate to the space in which you hope to exhibit?

      Life size or slightly smaller is the scale I want to make my pieces. I want to create four to five pieces, to create a balanced conversation amongst the sculptures. In a perfect world I would like to show in the Bob Owen’s Gallery in the Student Center, pretty much in the center or offset to one side. If the show will be in the library I would like to have access to the third floor landing. The pieces will be made in the round, so the easier it is to walk around each piece the better.

• How will you present, frame, and/ or display your work?

      I will display each sculpture on a pedestal roughly four to five feet tall, to bring them closer to eye-level. I do not have a specific sequence in which I will arrange the pieces planed out yet.

• Provide an estimate of the production time and a list of costs for your project.

      Production time depends on as soon as I can start producing the pieces. Each will take at least a week to finish and a week to dry before I can bisque them (depending on the size and amount of clay used), then another couple of days so I can glaze them and fire them one more time. Each piece would take roughly three weeks to completely finish. I would work on more than one at a time, so while one is in a drying or detail stage I can work on another.

Clay - $25 (per box) X 8+ = $200+

Glaze/ Paint = $100+

Armature/ Pedestal materials = $160+