Artist Statement
The organic forms of my clay vessels serve as a canvas where I use black washes to paint various narratives from my life. The sensual forms and intricately detailed brushwork illustrate meaningful experiences and aim to portray the dispositions provoked from a former relationship that continues to affect my mindset from day to day. In a way, I consider the physical process that is required in making large forms as a way to confront and reflect upon, as well as recognize and process the intense vulnerability I feel in my relationships. Many are representative of my individual self, such as the one that responds to the feelings I have in how I perceive myself during and after the repercussions of these events; others are more inclusive of the relationships I hold with the people closest to me in displaying specific moods or thoughts. Each vessel takes on a position using closed-off body language, creating a body in which I paint a memoir on the surfaces, separating each emotion from the rest of me. The forms and brushwork themselves allow the pieces to be perceived as something beautiful when in reality, many of the stories emulate a great deal of sadness and self confusion.
The salt firing process I use reflects the unpredictability of living moment to moment, something I try to practice due to my challenges in dealing with change and time passing. During the long firing time, I surrender knowing that the imagery I painted is slowly being absorbed into the clay body, beginning to fade away and turn brown, much like how the memories of my journey will. This creates a visual diary that has aged as time is passing. Although the figurative narratives are meant to be represented as self-portraits, I am hoping the viewers with be able to contemplate and consider the expressive narratives, visual memories, and figural forms that have become an extension of my life challenges, experiences, and thoughts.
Haylie Bowlby
BFA Undergraduate 2022
Bowling Green State University.