Artist Statement for

Where the Sky Meets the Earth  Installation

I understand my surroundings and express my engagement with the world through imagery.  Combining the tactile nature of clay with abstract images of memories, emotions, and research has fueled my passion to create for nearly twenty years.  I am deeply connected to the earth beneath my feet and to that held in my hands as my ideas take form. Though my interests in clay are varied, I am continually drawn to work that addresses relationships within environments: natural and constructed, human and animal.

When I was a little girl living in rural Montana animals were my constant companions.  Several of my pet rabbits broke free of their cages and multiplied.  One night, on a full moon, I looked out of my bedroom window to see a whole herd of rabbits in the space between our house and the barn.  The moonlight glistened on their backs, illuminating their voluptuous forms and curious ears.  When a flock of birds flew over the rabbits, casting fleeting shadows on their backs, it took my breath away.

This is one of my earliest memories—I was five or six at the time—and it remains one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.  At that moment I saw the place where the sky and the earth meet and I felt a part of a world much larger than I could then, or now, describe with words.

Through this series of hybrid creatures I hope to capture just a bit of the magic I experienced that night.  The pieces contain layered fragments of many other memories as I  seek a connection to the natural world and to others.