 ARTIST STATEMENT |
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My work is my meditation. I build most pieces with slab coils layer by layer. This slow process allows me to contemplate the form while I am building. Each new work is an extension of a previous idea. The shapes evolve from that idea rather than conforming strictly to what I had planned. My work is largely influenced by the earth and the awareness of light upon it. I love to work with a black earthenware clay that recalls the rich soil of the earth. It also reminds me of the sacred ground on which we stand. I like to honor this sacredness by etching thin white lines inspired by patterns and fields of energy marked on the earth. Sometimes I will apply a slip of white earthenware over the black. When the pot bakes in the kiln, the white clay pulls the black toward the center, resulting in an altered shape. In this way the clay is my partner and my teacher. It teaches me about letting go and to welcoming imperfection. My white work studies the enclosed space within shapes. I am interested in capturing the anticipated movement of a shape as it is being built…the pieces are unfolding, flowing. The openings are just emerging. This stage breathes life into my shapes. I call this series Apriori. This body of work grew from an anxiety over the political environment that I live in today. My home and my studio are only 8 miles from a nuclear power plant that has been identified as a prime terrorist target. I realized that at any moment I may need to evacuate and might be prevented from ever returning. I began to visualize my work interrupted in process, untouched for 20 years and covered with dust. I began to see the inherent beauty in a shape as it is being constructed…and the sense of movement that is captured. I decided to embrace this image. Then I began to notice it in nature. The flower that is just unfolding, not fully open. The fruit in its beginnings as it grows to become whole. There is innocence in this early state of incompleteness that speaks to me. The idea of hiding messages in my pots began one afternoon when my neighbor gave me a homemade loaf of freshly baked Irish soda bread. She pointed out the cross that is traditionally cut in the center and said, "years ago they put the cross in the bread to distribute the symbol yet keep the religion hidden." I started thinking why not do the same with pots? So now and then I will hide messages I am most passionate about in some of my pieces. This provides a sort of safe soapbox for my strong beliefs. The words seem to make more of an impression when the letters are carved deeply into the surface of the clay. I like knowing that these words will live a longer life on this pot than on a sheet of paper. The mud is my comfort. |
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1992-2000 - Bauch Design, New York, NY.
EDUCATION
E-mail Nancy Bauch