The objects that I choose to display represent life as tangible and fleeting. The transcendence of mortality. Bones hold many symbolic meanings, but most importantly they remind us, as humans, of how truly precious life is. This philosophy follows with the practice of Memento Mori, a medieval Latin Christian theory of embracing life by displaying imageries of death.
Bone anatomy is a recurring subject in my work. I have created a library of plaster molds recording a variety of human bones. With these molds, I then cast two hundred and thirty porcelain bones. The individual cast porcelain bones were treated similarly and fired in multiple firings in a small gas powered soda kiln. Reducing the oxygen in the kiln brought out pale oranges, peaches and subtle grays while firing. Tumble stacking the bones—one on top of another—created the interesting flame patterns
As ceramic artist, I am entranced by the nature of fire and its effect on the surface of clay—how the variation of surface effects on each individual bone develop during a firing. The flame patterns, or flashing, on the surface of the bones as a result of the bare clay being exposed to a direct flame path. The variables that can be somewhat controlled in the atmosphere of the kiln which allow for these results. (For example: the orientation in which the objects are placed or stacked in the kiln, the time in which temperature is increased or decreased, and the balance of fire and oxygen within the kiln.) A love and curiosity of assemblage within the kiln has also lead me to constantly experiment with the placement of my work inside the kiln, and what effects that the stack has on the clay surface.