Lisa Steele
My work involves the sculptural interpretation of land forms. They are simplified and abstracted into fundamental shapes and elements to capture the essence and spirit of the place. This series of work depicts landscape forms of rock, trees, sand, and water. Inspiration for the series comes from areas of Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, and Colorado. Light and scale are emphasized in order to give the viewer a feeling of being dwarfed by the landscape. Both color and texture are important elements.
The substance that a traditional ceramic vessel holds or contains is the purpose for the vessel’s existence. In my work, both the interior and exterior serve distinct purposes. The outside of the sculpture is a vessel, designed to contain the ambient place inside. This media lends itself to my concepts particularly well, as the soft clay is as malleable and changeable as the shifting sand. When fired, the finished ceramic material is as permanent as the formations themselves. Each piece is made by hand using a variety of methods of hand building. The raku or stoneware clay is then fired and finished with a variety of mixed media and techniques. A major element of my work is the use of light and the way that the changing light affects the piece of sculpture, just as changing light affects the landscape itself.