Artist Statement

Working as an artist and an athlete I constantly think about how I can merge the two main things in my life together. I think of how the two could become one because swimming and art are what I have known for the last decade. I'm interested in creating a piece that represents an athlete or person in the water.

Throwing in ceramics reminds me of the symmetry of being in the pool. I throw on a wheel because it was the first real art form that I learned that was hands-on. Throwing on the wheel requires clay be centered on the wheel and even all around. Swimming is very similar, if you're in the water to swim well and fast as a competitive swimmer you have to be precise with your technique of pulling, grabbing and pushing the water in all directions depending on the stroke you're doing. When first learning to throw I was told you have no muscle, and my teacher wasn't wrong, it was hard. Swimming and throwing are much the same in the way that both are hard at first and get easier over time and practice. 

In printmaking I express water through using images of sea life. I combine my ceramic work with my printmaking work with the help of a rice paper transfer so I can easily transfer imagery I find that I connect to, like an octopus. The use of an octopus comes from an idea which seems to be subconscious but connected to being around water for so long. By using decals of my octopus on my ceramic work after they have been glazed it becomes another way to communicate the idea of my connection to water. When putting the two together, I can see what I’m trying to communicate to others from my views as an athlete, and my ideas as an artist coming together to have this unique type of interaction. Combining ceramics and print gives me the opportunity to represent images and themes of swimming and ocean life between two very different mediums.

My neon work is a separate series where I use photographs of my teammates to create a strong line composition of the figure in water. These strong line compositions bounce off the idea of when you're swimming, the lane lines guide you in a one way direction. I enjoy working at a large life scale, I use figures because it is a new way of thinking sculpturally. Using photographs of teammates helps convey my ideas and views as an artist but also as an athlete. Neon can be bright and colorful  which allows my ceramic work to be lit with the neon glow. It’s a compliment to my ceramics because of how glossy my ceramic work can be after glazing and the light reflecting from the neon helps enhance the experience of ceramics.