Embodied: BFA Thesis Exhibition

When examining the history of ceramic art the connection between vessels and both feminine language and forms is clear. The vocabulary used to describe vessels includes words like foot, shoulder, neck, lip, etc. Vessels were also historically created by women for the purposes of storing and cooking so there is no surprise that the familiar round forms of vessels took shape after the female form. 

While working with hand built ceramics, the process itself became as significant as the product. These vessels were not planned or designed but rather made as extensions of myself as the artist. The clay informed itself taking shape as I coiled making them an organic expression of my creative process. Similarly there is a relationship between myself and the vessels since they are related to my own body as each piece was built to the highest I could reach my arms. 

This series of vessels explores the organic relationship between shape, life, and the female form. Each piece connects to the others in a group, not as identical twins, but as sisters, emphasizing the shared bond among women. These vessels are not only in aesthetic harmony but also symbolize our relationships with others. The curving forms evoke the earliest relationship we experience: that with our mother. The softness and nurturing nature of the female form carries throughout our lives, influencing how we assign meaning to people and objects.

The glazing process further reflects this connection. Each color was created using mason stain pigments built upon the remains of the previous one. This layering of colors symbolizes the relationship between the vessels and the bodies of women, each layer supporting and complementing the next.