"5 SCULPTURES?"
Clay is central to my artistic practice, embodying the raw, imperfect nature of human experience. Its malleability offers an instinctive, embodied way of working, where the process itself becomes emotional expression. In shaping the clay, I allow it to shape me in return. The marks, textures, and irregularities that emerge hold traces of both process and emotion, much like how we carry the imprints of our experiences. I work without tools, relying solely on my hands, aiming to create works that are emotional vessels, born from instinct and raw movement.
I started with using air dry clay to give off a more raw effect of work in “Imperfectly Perfect” , I created unstable clay shelves supporting real flowers. These fragile shelves conveyed vulnerability, but I found their structured nature limiting. I wanted more fluidity and spontaneity, so I shifted to forms that directly express emotion through abstraction. I also found in this piece that my structures for holding up the clay didn’t work very well so I wanted to try and move on from this as the nails gave off the wrong affect for my work and it trying to portray the nature aspect of it;
My current work focuses on how emotions occupy space, with sculptures that embody feelings that are shapeless, contradictory, and hard to articulate. This shift led me to explore the emotional qualities of form itself, creating pieces less about narrative or function, and more about how emotions manifest physically. Sculptures 1, 2, and 3 embrace fluidity, reflecting the complexity of emotion. This approach was inspired by Belinda Blinguat’s (1)Raw, Thrown by This (2018), where she explores clay’s connection to the environment, allowing the material to evolve organically. I applied this technique to my own work, incorporating found materials like stones, mud, and clay to create abstract sculptures that are grounded yet personal. The tactile qualities of these materials, combined with mirrored shards, evoke fragmentation, while the mirrors suggest shifting reflections, inviting visceral engagement. This process deepened my understanding of how my hands interact with clay and the textures they create, and the mirror beneath each piece reinforces the concept of reflection and space.
My practice is aiming to be grounded in pagan principles of interconnectedness and a deep respect for the natural world. Nature is not merely a visual reference but the conceptual and emotional foundation of my work. I am drawn to the rhythms and cycles of the earth's growth, decay, renewal and how these mirror internal states of being. Similar to Alexander Engelfreit (2) “Immerse Impress Imprint, 2020” showing Clay, as an elemental substance, feels inherently alive: it is constantly changing, and deeply symbolic. It holds tension between presence and absence. I want to convert the emotion of how imperfection and instability can offer a more honest representation of emotional truth than polished or refined forms ever could.
In my final degree piece, "5 Sculptures", was created from this desire to capture emotion through form, texture, and placement. Show how we can also be like clay ,As inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s writing, (3) “being taken for granite” especially her idea that humans are shaped by time and feeling, resonates deeply with my approach. It’s a reminder that we, like clay, are shaped by our surroundings and the passage of time. The emotional core of my practice lies in the belief that imperfection and instability offer a more honest reflection of our inner worlds than polished, refined forms. (4)“Or not even stone but clay, or not even clay but mud.” Each sculpture in my “5 sculptures” expresses a unique emotional state, and their placement some indoors, others outdoors I want the viewer to search, to question, and to reflect on what’s hidden in plain sight, much as emotions can be elusive or difficult to fully understand; using tree stumps as plinths to show the connection between us, nature and our emotions as a whole.
In hope that every piece reflects the depth of the feelings I once carried, each sculpture speaking a language of its own, filled with meaning. These pieces, in their fragility, could be cracked, broken, or even melted away in the eyes of those who view them. Each time, they evoke a different emotion, shifting and transforming with the perspective of the observer. But who are we as humans when concealed within our emotions? Are we the nature that shapes us, the clay that molds our feelings, or is it the work itself that becomes the true reflection of our souls? In the end, what are we, if not the stories we leave behind?
Bibliography
1. (No date) Thrown - blank projects. Available at: https://blankprojects.com/Thrown (Accessed: 07 May 2025).
2. (No date a) Alexandra Engelfriet - projects: Available at: https://www.alexandra-engelfriet.nl/projects.php (Accessed: 07 May 2025).
3. Ursula K. Le Guin (no date) Are.na. Available at: https://www.are.na/block/7270202 (Accessed: 07 May 2025).
4. Ursula K. Le Guin (no date) Are.na. Available at: https://www.are.na/block/7270202 (Accessed: 07 May 2025).