Artist Statement

This most recent body of work reveals the animalistic nature of human beings, as we often look towards nature to explain our behaviors. These ceramic fawns allow the viewer to contemplate the ways in which power is relational through the depiction of prey animals doomed to be hunted. Yearning is rooted in the creation of these young white-tailed deer, as they display their playfulness, begging for connection from one another. These specific animals are utilized as symbols of innocence, vulnerability, and fear as they explore tender moments of youth and face the reality of adulthood, asking how do you remove yourself from the natural progression of life? I describe my art objects as elevated tchotchkes, and comment on the commodification of clay, and this particular body of work references the big-eyed, toy-like objects of childhood such as stuffed animals and exposes the violent urges often caused by cuteness aggression, exploring the violent nature of domination that lurks beneath attraction. I am interested in using my work to challenge the notion that fine art opposes craft by using the common language they both speak through kitschy, campy aesthetics. These ceramic fawns face fears not created through predators, but through their interactions with one another. Instead of a forested surrounding, these art objects are placed in gallery spaces, externalizing the internal by placing private objects in a public space. The work is visceral, calling into question the relationship between self and other as well as the inherent abjection that occurs as the line between inside and out is blurred questioning how can one's body exceed confined boundaries? Playing on the mutability of the human form, and our need to personify animals, each object acts as a conduit for the onlooker, forcing them into the position of spectator: where voyeurism activates the work.