(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1989) Henderson, Susan
I have worked in clay for sixteen years. For me, answering the question Why do I work in clay?" is hard. Clay reinforces my imagery and content of landscape and figures because clay is earth; when it is fired it becomes rock. The brittle unevenness of the surface, the colors, the cracks, the dents, the holes represent human vulnerabilities, frailties, imperfections, their humanness, their perserverance, their impermanence. I alter the clay body to make the clay surface look similar to a slice of land with veins of color running through it. My firing process furthers the geological nature of my sculptures. The clay is underfired and unevenly fired resulting in further color variations on the surface. Clay cracks as it dries. These cracks add to the natural land image and reinforce my content. I build in supports on either side of where I want a crack, cut the clay on the inner sides and let the shrinkage do the rest of the cutting. Clay lends itself to texture. Feelings are channeled directly into the clay surface through finger marks that follow the contour of the form.
