Artist Statement:

"Spaces, Barriers, and Connections

My current focus is an exploration of space. I make ceramic vessels and connect them to form barriers and spaces between. I incorporate sewn elements that pierce through the layers and connect multiple vessels, the boundary of interior and exterior blurs as one vessel's interior becomes another's exterior. Subtle details within the vessels focus the viewer's attention to the interior most space, traveling through the many layers of a piece. It is this interplay of objects and the creation of space that is the focus of this body of work. I draw attention to this space by placing one vessel inside another suspended by a single black thread. The delicate thread used to sew the pieces together creates a decorative geometric pattern, reminiscent of the patterns made from a kaleidoscope. One's vessel's exterior becomes and alters another vessel's interior. At the same time, the thread holding and connecting the pieces creates a sense of both tension and support; one piece relies on the other for support. The second space I focus on is an area that people tend to overlook, the barrier between the inside and outside of a vessel. The walls of my ceramic vessels contain many layers and are the foundation for each piece. Through the use of two different colored clay bodies, the tiny layers that compose the wall of the vessel are emphasized. Layering the white and black clay draws the viewer's eye on the otherwise overlooked barrier and focus is brought to the wall's thinness or thickness, fragility or durability. Relationships created by the vessels are similar to the relationships experienced by people. People rely on one another for support the same way that my vessels rest against each other for stability. The space surrounding each object or person is a source of structure, at times lending support and strength and at other times weakness and fragility." -Rebecca L. Bloem