Valerie Bunnell

"My first ceramic figure began as a kind of re-creation of an antique doll. Thinking of the story of Icarus, I experimented with the addition of wings to subsequent figures, which gave them a sense of potential and energy. In fact, all my figures have become explorations of spirit which exists between the make-believe and the real. I locate characters in this in-between place by drawing on my imagination, memory, and experience of nature and culture. As I carve, texture and mark the clay, a narrative identity emerges. Found objects, both natural and man-made inform this identity as well. The narrative implications of the work seem to originate as much with the viewer as with myself. I see this viewer participation as the final step in the animation of the figures." - Valerie Bunnell

To see more of her work go to her website.