Finding Solace in the Forest

When I was a child, I spent a lot of time in the woods out behind my house. I felt that it was a place of safety and comfort. I was fed and sheltered there. The forest is personified for me as Mother Nature herself, a divine being of strength and protection, wise and benevolent in her nature. She is mother and home to innumerable small beings that are kept under her wing.
My work reflects that female presence in the voluptuous curves and flowing lines. I enjoy the process, as it seems the vessels grow beneath my hands. I attempt to create a feeling of serenity, without allowing it to feel stagnant. The forest itself is called to mind by the textures of the vessels. Rough tree bark, twigs and branches, vines and tendrils, bumpy gravel streambeds, sharp blades of grass, and stiff pine needles all mark the surfaces.
At times, I will take an unfinished vase or pitcher out into the woods with me in order to determine the texture it is calling for, or to roll it against the bark of a tree. If I determine that carving into a vessel is needed, I will carve the lines of a form connecting in some way to the texture on the sides of the vessel, thereby unifying and solidifying its context.
I’m influenced by the many walks into the woods, by my childhood memories, and by poets that write about nature in a romantic way, such as Robert Frost and Amy Lowell. I hope that when others see my work, they too are inspired by the natural world.