I am a ceramic sculptor who strives to capture the intimate and internal experience of the human condition in my artwork. I use personal narrative to explore various themes. I began this project by listening to the song demos and reading the lyrics by John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light. John wrote a brief list of themes about the songs. One of the themes was “Scars that make us stronger.” I liked the sound of this. Heartbreak, hope, and healing emerged as themes in Common’s music that I wanted to explore. The box I created holds a figure whose heart has been broken but is being sewn back together.

Technically, my sculptural pieces are hand-built from clay and combine slips, oxides, underglazes and glazes. The bust and the heart are made of clay and multi-fired between 3 and 4 times. I layered the inside of the box with drywall plaster to create depth. The box was painted inside and outside with several layers of acrylic paint to create a worn, aged look. The heart hangs upon a steel rod. I used found copper wire as the thread and combined it with a wooden spool and a rusted thimble lies upon the floor of the box.