ABOUT ME
Artist Statement
​Claire Elise is a ceramicist based out of Des Moines, IA. In 2019 she received her B.A. in Studio Art with a Ceramics emphasis, from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA. While completing her B.A., she became the Ceramics Lab Technician for the Hearst Center for the Arts. She currently teaches ceramics at The Des Moines Arts Center, (Des Moines, IA) The Octagon Center for the Arts, (Ames, IA) and the Ankeny Arts Center (Ankeny IA)
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My work is a collection of self-portraits that surmise past moments, feelings and memories from my childhood. These are derived from having grown up in a stifling, emotionally abusive, and neglectful environment. Between parental bipolarity, and an isolated childhood, I was left with a turbulent sense of self to my feminine identity and self-worth. The work expresses various dualities and contradictory experiences in my life. I seek to encapsulate these personal struggles in order to discover who I am, and who I have been, and who I can become.
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My process starts with personal experiences. I use imagery relating to memories to develop context for the work. I find the vessel to be a familiar starting point for form, one that can be transformed through surface and design. I look to forms that have qualities which can be transformed into a feminine silhouette- soft curves, delicate features, and elegant necks or feet. I find myself drawn to stemmed vessels and Venetian glass, as they have an essence of elegance and femininity.
Surface design often becomes the biggest step in my process as it can be difficult and time consuming. I often use a combination of piercing, water-etching, slip trailing, etc. to bring depth and visual interest. I currently use these processes to create fragile, and delicate forms to represent conflicting and tense situations I’ve experienced. The motif I use is directly related to my childhood, as it is a variation of patterns I would doodle as a kid. Glaze, and other imagery or texture is added via underglaze, decal, or luster for context. There is intent behind every choice throughout my process.
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In ceramics, I tend to work at a scale which emphasizes the importance of these emotional moments. I find that a larger scale gives a sense of enormity, and seriousness, while a smaller scale brings a sense of intimacy and delicacy to the work. Every texture, process, detail and color I use is chosen to address and emphasize specific moments or feelings in each piece. I use a combination of building methods, thrown and coil, to keep my construction an active thought process. Much is derived from my childhood, and how encapsulating those feelings now, allows for reflection and growth as both a person and an artist.
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In my photography, I like to create scenes that also deal with these emotions. I find that this media allows me a different sense of exploration through the concepts that I am working with. Photography allows me to construct a sense of narrative, whether real or imagined, yet it still conveys an honest truth behind the feelings they evoke. While my work is very personal to me, I like creating scenes, and pieces in which the viewers can construct their own interpretation.