Fabric and Lace Series
This series was the focus of my BFA exhibition which showed in 2021. I developed this style focusing on ideas of traditional femininity through the lens of dress.
Artist Statement:
My body of work is utilitarian ceramics based on traditional female dress. My forms are thrown on a wheel and altered to resemble fabrics common in dresses. I use a soft grey and blue color scheme that keeps the work feeling soft and relaxed. I want to capture the feelings of gracefulness and gentleness that I relate to traditional femininity. I hope to evoke ideas of femininity within my work because growing up I spent a lot of time with my brothers and my dad who, unintentionally, instilled in me a derision of traits that were considered feminine. In a pursuit to be one of the boys I never let myself be very girly. The kind of femininity that I most admire comes from the characters in Jane Austen’s novels. As a tribute to this, the initial dresses I used as inspiration were from the regency era when her stories are set. I’m using my work as a personal exploration and expression of the ideas of femininity that I rejected and am now trying to embrace.