Unstoppable & Irrepressible

Stoneware clay, underglaze, glaze, lustre

In 2019​ I created this series of ceramics on bent slabs of clay, pushing the limit of the clay body by having it hold unlikely positions where it was more vulnerable to cracking and breaking. I made over 100 pieces, and nearly 40 broke in the process. In person the series really felt precarious, something so fragile perched on nails, resisting the wall, peeling away from the restraints holding them down; even though the pieces seem fragile, they are strong. They have gone through many forms and processes to become solid objects. From minerals to powders, mixed with water and recycled projects, hand-kneaded, rolled out, propped up, dried, underglazed, bisqued, glazed, fired, lustered, and glazed again. They are formed through a series of actions. They are resilient. They are the pieces that survived.

I want to create unruly women who rebel against how they are supposed to behave. I want to capture righteously angry women who don’t choke back their feelings to preserve others. I want to capture fragile women who are supporting and nurturing themselves. I want to capture tired women and having a momentary lapse of sanity. I want to capture powerful women who are unabashedly who they are. I want to capture a small glimpse of what it means to be a woman, healing, growing and overcoming whatever comes her way.