Felicia de Chabris
Several years ago, after a long hiatus, I set up a studio near the ocean and a second location at my home in upstate NY. In these less urban environments, I began creating pieces that were inspired by the landscape of my new surroundings. The work became more amorphous and often includes elements I gathered on walks and hikes along the beach and through the woods including (but not limited to) branches, vines, driftwood, and rocks.
These forms often push the constraints and pliability of the stoneware and porcelain. As structural compositions, they rarely have a utilitarian use. Without the limitations of function, a world of possibilities opened up to me, one in which I could create familiar shapes only to then deconstruct them. Conceptually, the pieces are intended to look as if they were captured whilst in motion; like a piece of cloth caught in a rush of wind, or a upright object irregularly perched on the verge of collapse.
At best, each piece requires me to reexamine what it means to wander into a place without restrictions, to embrace the freedom of ambiguity and unpredictability and welcome the unexpected with all its uneven edges and curious twists and turns.