Linda Lewis

Artist Statement

The clay sculptures Linda Lewis creates deal with common themes between people: love, parenthood, family & the search for fulfillment.  Instead of focusing on the figure she tells the story through the use of facial expressions, the tilt of the head , the shifting of the stance, as well as the texture of the surface & the use of symbols. Titles are added to each piece to support the narrative of each piece: anything from 'The harassed housewife' to 'Daydreaming' to 'Just between us'.  Her inspiration comes not only from her own life but from the stories of those she listens to in her everyday life. She creates original, figurative clay sculptures that bring to life ordinary people and the lives they represent - from a parent sharing a moment with a child to a woman walking her dog to a person contemplating life. Many of my pieces deal with a search for purpose and identity. The line down the middle divides this conflict but the  textures, color and designs on the surface of the sculptures show the struggle to harmonize these differences between the two sides.  

The goal with her sculptures is to connect us through the intricacies of the human experience- the experiences and emotions that we all share, regardless of gender, race or culture.  As with all her pieces, they are originals built from slabs and coils of stoneware clay.  The crossed legs are particularly hard to construct without cracking or breaking.  She believes that's why one doesn't often see clay pieces like these.  Her narratives, color choices, painterly approach and the configurations she uses make her pieces unique and truly one-of-a-kind.

The structure of each piece is hand built  using slabs or coils; shaping, altering and incising the surface.  The surface is a mixture of  glazing techniques and  marks, designs and color and are added in layers between several firings. During the final firing process  oxides are used to bring depth and texture to the surface. The pieces are slab built from clay with a combination of surface applications of glazes, slips, terra sigillatta, oxides and overglazes and multi fired to cone 04. Her unique glazing techniques causes crazing (or crackling) on the surface of the glaze.  The overglaze is applied and sprayed off allowing the black colorant settle into the cracks and  crevices giving the piece a raku-fired appearance.