Week in Review
My focus for the last several weeks has been consistency.
Consistency in showing up at my studio table to make the same thing, week after week. Consistency to get stronger, more focused, and dig to the roots of why I wanted to create art through clay. Over this past week the latter has become the most prominent question I have asked myself.
I’ve come to the gaping conclusion of “I’m not entirely sure, but it just feels right.” Completely unhelpful.
I attempted to answer this question for myself in an artist statement and artist bio, and I can’t help but feel like I’m close, but not quite there.
Allow me to ramble for a moment; I have always leaned toward fantasy. In any media I could consume, I was drawn into a fantasy world and would daydream my time happily away. If there was magic, fairies, or dragons it was even better! The older I’ve gotten, the more frowned upon it is to spend every idle moment in a daydream. But something about the real world feels…un-magical…
Which perhaps I could blame on my phone and the algorithmic hypnosis that I often find myself sucked into, but I’m not going to. (I already know this is an issue and am in the middle of a course correction.)
Instead, I have set myself out on a journey to understand what it is about fantasy that draws me in. And how I can replicate the idea of fantasy in my own art.
Enter ‘Solace’, my new collection — with pieces still in the works — that explore the intangible fantasy of nature through the use of black clay.
My pieces cannot do everything I ask of them, this I already know. There is no pixie dust to make us fly, or fire that can spark from my fingertips (without it being store bought.) To me, the true magic of our world is nature. The plants and flowers that bloom and grow year after year hold so much within them, if we only take the time to look.
The black clay is purposeful for this. It draws you in while absorbing and holding everything you give it. Its presence is demanding yet calm. A comforting void, filled with imagination and hope. Inspired by spring flowers and summer ponds.
8 pieces have survived the firing, 4 are sitting on the drying rack, and at least 8 more are planned with some room for experimentation.
This week felt like a lot of admin, but I have a plan now for keeping up with my consistency and making this collection come to life.
Enjoy the sneak peaks of the finished pieces, and I hope you’ll follow along for more! :)
See you next week,
Lee Ryn
