My work explores tension and balance with precariously stacked ceramic towers. I create hand-built, sculptural, abstract work. My work draws on making multiple pieces at a time where I focus on how the fluid process of working in tandem sparks a singular vision to bleed into the next. The technical side focuses on balancing wedged clay or coils and observing the limits to which it can be pushed until just before it collapses. In doing so, I employ a bridge between themes of intuition and process, to the malleability of material, bringing these ideas to life in physical asymmetrical structures. It follows the path of intrinsically stacking and snaking organic coils of earth into rigid towering structures, manipulating these forms into sculptural abstraction.
Further themes examined in my work include my Chicana identity and nature. I pay homage to the visual language of my heritage through the interplay of traditional ideas and the abstract. My Mexican-American roots shine through with bold colors that link back to Mexican folk art and culture (wooden alebrijes, papel picado, etc.), and references to landscapes, both domestically and abroad. Inspired by observing the beauty of nature, I strive to capture the nuances and intricacies of the natural world and the complexities of humanity’s impact on it, subtly woven into the pieces I make. I invite my audiences to follow similar explorations, get their hands dirty, and remember the simple wonder of shaping form from the Earth. My goals for this year are to finish my BFA and get started as a working artist. In the upcoming years, I want to do ceramic residencies in different areas across the US and get my MFA. I plan to do guest lectures, demos, and teach along the way. I want to one day give back to the communities that fostered my education and upbringing into the artist I am today.
Sponsored by: Alexis Mootoo to honor Harrison, Harold and Dixie Mootoo & The GFA Board of Directors
