"Momma"
2020
Porcelain with underglaze, glaze, luster, varnish
10.5 in.
Artist Statement:
My artwork explores my notions of identity and home through the creation of illustrated ceramic sculptures. Using female figures, iconography, and domestic scenery, I present personal themes of femininity, memory, and mental health to discuss what are ultimately universal experiences. I draw inspiration from historical portraiture for my figure's forms, clothing, and some imagery. Themes like longing, love, fragility, strength, and family have been depicted in art throughout history. Although we often feel isolated in our experiences, looking at women from the past helps me to see that I am not alone and to feel a sense of validation. I hope others can connect to my work in similar ways.
"Momma" is a porcelain painting with hand-sculpted flowers featuring a portrait of my mother, Deborah Denney Morales. She is one of my greatest inspirations. She is an incredibly strong and loving woman who has been through so much in her life. She has dealt with substantial illness multiple times, but continues to push forward and be positive. She is always on my mind, and I strive to live by her example. This piece is an homage to my mother and her strength, as shown by the cacade of her favorite flowers (Irises and Gladiolus) and the gold luster radiance. 

"Una (Memento Mori)"
2018
Porcelain with underglaze, glaze, luster
12.5 in. x 6 in. x 6 in.
Artist Statement:
My artwork explores my notions of identity and home through the creation of illustrated ceramic sculptures. Using female figures, iconography, and domestic scenery, I present personal themes of femininity, memory, and mental health to discuss what are ultimately universal experiences. I draw inspiration from historical portraiture for my figure's forms, clothing, and some imagery. Themes like longing, love, fragility, strength, and family have been depicted in art throughout history. Although we often feel isolated in our experiences, looking at women from the past helps me to see that I am not alone and to feel a sense of validation. I hope others can connect to my work in similar ways.
"Una (Memento Mori)" is a porcelain sculpture of a nude woman wearing a skirt resembling a crinoline, while looking at an Amaryllis flower in her hand. A memento mori painting is illustrated on her skirt referencing life, death, pride, knowledge, and vanity.

"The Language of Flowers"
2018
Porcelain with underglaze, glaze, luster
Installation of 25 pieces, each 7 in. x 6 in.
Artist Statement:
My artwork explores my notions of identity and home through the creation of illustrated ceramic sculptures. Using female figures, iconography, and domestic scenery, I present personal themes of femininity, memory, and mental health to discuss what are ultimately universal experiences. I draw inspiration from historical portraiture for my figure's forms, clothing, and some imagery. Themes like longing, love, fragility, strength, and family have been depicted in art throughout history. Although we often feel isolated in our experiences, looking at women from the past helps me to see that I am not alone and to feel a sense of validation. I hope others can connect to my work in similar ways.
"The Language of Flowers" is an installation of 25 small paintings. Each painting is an illustrated detail from 18th and 19th century paintings of a hand holding a flower. For thousands of years, meaning has been attributed to flowers, and some form of floriography, or the use of flowers for communication, has been practiced in traditional cultures throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Floriographycame to the height of its popularity during the Victorian era, where people would send one another coded messages in bouquets and the recipient would need to use a handbook to decipher them. I have reinterpreted and modernized these details by changing skin tones to includes a variety of ethnicities, and I have added my blurring glaze to bring emphasis to the relationship between floriography and mental health. For example, a rose means love, a carnation means refusal or disdain, and poppies mean consolation or remembrance.

"Delicate Dependency"
2017
Porcelain with underglaze, glaze, paint, varnish
19 in. x 10 in. x 8.5 in.

Artist Statement:
My artwork explores my notions of identity and home through the creation of illustrated ceramic sculptures. Using female figures, iconography, and domestic scenery, I present personal themes of femininity, memory, and mental health to discuss what are ultimately universal experiences.  I draw inspiration from historical portraiture for my figure's forms, clothing, and some imagery. Themes like longing, love, fragility, strength, and family have been depicted in art throughout history.  Although we often feel isolated in our experiences, looking at women from the past helps me to see that I am not alone and to feel a sense of validation. I hope others can connect to my work in similar ways.
"Delicate Dependency" is a porcelain sculpture of a woman with a cascade of white flowers climbing up her dress and torso to wrap around her eyes. Although blinded, she has a far-off look of bliss. The cascade consists of flowers that each symbolize a positive emotion associated with marriage. A domestic scene is illustrated on her dress, rife with symbolism suggesting complacency and time.  This piece is about the delicate dependency that is my marriage. My husband and I have both struggled with depression and anxiety for many years. In our relationship, we take turns leaning on each other when the load becomes too heavy for one or the other, so we have become dependent on each other in many ways. While beautiful, positive, and often necessary for us, dependency is a delicate situation that can easily lead to complacency and helplessness. This piece is about that balance.
Mental health is an important issue that is often minimized or ignored. In recent years, we have seen an emerging push to break the silence and end the stigmas associated with it. By opening up the conversation and discussing our struggles, we can see and learn from our similarities and begin to heal.

"Flutter"
2017
Porcelain with underglaze, glaze, china paint, luster, paint, varnish
18.5 in. x 9 in. x 4.5 in.
Artist Statement:
My artwork explores my notions of identity and home through the creation of illustrated ceramic sculptures. Using female figures, iconography, and domestic scenery, I present personal themes of femininity, memory, and mental health to discuss what are ultimately universal experiences. I illustrate emotionally honest imagery that is both specific to me and relatable to others. By providing viewers with these images and no explanations, I invite them to imagine their own narratives.
I use porcelain and Rococo imagery to reference decorative objects from the past.  I intend to create a sense of familiarity, as many of us were raised around objects like figurines, commemorative plates, and framed paintings. I draw inspiration from historical portraiture for my figure's forms, clothing, and some imagery. Themes like longing, love, fragility, strength, and family have been depicted in art throughout history.  Although we often feel isolated in our experiences, looking at women from the past helps me to see that I am not alone and to feel a sense of validation. I hope others can connect to my work in similar ways.
"Flutter" is a porcelain sculpture of a mother holding her baby, while illustrated moths gather towards it. This piece is about the mixture of longing and anxiety I have for motherhood.

Artist Statement about "Moth" series:
In my artwork, I explore my notions of identity. Using personal themes of memory, domesticity, femininity, and mental health, I discuss what are ultimately universal experiences.
For this series, I have sculpted contemplative women who are illustrated with moths and light sources. For me, the moth is related to my mental health. Moths are nocturnal creatures that display colorful yet dark and complex patterns. Although beautiful, people often disregard them as mere insects or mistake them for butterflies. I find the duality of the moth and its fluttering movements to be like a physical representation of my thoughts. I include light sources as symbols of positivity, representing the mental state I strive for.
The concern for women's mental health has come a long way since the days of feminine hysteria. Although there is still some stigma, society is close to being able to discuss it openly. My figurines are displaying their thoughts for everyone in the hope of opening a conversation about women's mental health.

"Ties That Bind"
2017
Porcelain with underglaze, glaze, luster, paint, and enamel
14 in. x 12 in. x 5 in. Artist Statement:
My artwork explores my notions of identity and home through the creation of illustrated ceramic sculptures. Using female figures, iconography, and domestic scenery, I present personal themes of femininity, memory, and mental health to discuss what are ultimately universal experiences. I illustrate emotionally honest imagery that is both specific to me and relatable to others. By providing viewers with these images and no explanations, I invite them to imagine their own narratives.
I use porcelain and Rococo imagery to reference decorative objects from the past.  I intend to create a sense of familiarity, as many of us were raised around objects like figurines, commemorative plates, and framed paintings. I draw inspiration from historical portraiture for my figure's forms, clothing, and some imagery. Themes like longing, love, fragility, strength, and family have been depicted in art throughout history.  Although we often feel isolated in our experiences, looking at women from the past helps me to see that I am not alone and to feel a sense of validation. I hope others can connect to my work in similar ways.
"Ties That Bind" is porcelain sculpture of sisters with their hands pressed against one another's as they attempt to rise out of a dense illustration of pink camellias. Camellias are Alabama's state flower, and I use them as a symbol of my feelings toward my time living there. My sister and I were born and raised for much of our childhoods in California. We were later moved to rural Alabama, were we struggled to fit in during our formative years. Although it felt like we fought against one another at the time, I see now that we really leaned on each other through difficult periods.

"Day After Day"
2017
Porcelain with underglaze and glaze
13 in. x 7.5 in. x 7 in.
Artist Statement:
 In my artwork, I explore my notions of identity and home. Using personal themes of memory, domesticity, femininity, and mental health, I discuss what are ultimately universal experiences.
"Day After Day" is a porcelain sculpture of a woman moving in place. On her skirt are illustrations of three identical windows showing the passage of a day from dawn, to rainy daytime, to dusk. The illustration is a window in my living room, and my view from it. I have dealt with depression for most of my life, and during some periods it can make me feel stuck. Often, the more I fight against it, the more it can weigh me down. Days can become weeks as I watch time pass out my windows. This piece is about that struggle.

Artist Statement about "Notions of Home" series:
My artwork explores how memory shapes my concepts of home. Home is where I live: the people, objects, and places I am surrounded by and my state of mind.  Home is supposed to be comfortable, supportive, and stable, but when the memories of home that define who I am are fallible, I am in a constant state of flux, searching for myself.
I use photographs from the past to illustrate my decorative ceramic objects with my memories of places, personal items, and people, and I alter them. By firing images of these memories onto my pieces, I make rooms and objects tangible; permanent yet ultimately inaccessible. I blur some figures and objects with a running glaze, referring to both the imperfections in my memories and my ongoing search for self.
I use porcelain and Rococo imagery to reference decorative objects from the past. Both have a long history of representing social status and wealth, but in contemporary society can be seen as kitsch. These references create a sense of familiarity, as many of us were raised with objects like figurines, commemorative plates, and framed paintings.
I illustrate emotionally honest imagery that is both specific to me and relatable to others. I provide the viewer with these images and no explanation, inviting them to imagine their own narratives. Our identities emerge through the creation and retention of our autobiographical memories, and I draw attention to that through my work. By sifting through my memories, illustrating them, and altering them, I am exploring myself through my notions of home and memory.