Karen Adelaar

Wiccopee, New York, USA

Title: Tree

Year of Creation: 2008

Glaze: Natural ash anagama kiln

Clay Body: Sculptural clay and slips

Dimensions: Height 21 inches, Width 8 inches

Artist's Statement: I do ceramic sculpture. I am inspired by a lifelong interest in natural history. My choice of clay as a medium is directly related to this primitive material and its immediate connection to the earth's infinite process of decomposition and renewal.

My pieces are hand-built. I do a lot of layering, texturing and carving and use a wide selection of clay bodies, oxides, slips and natural stains. I fire my work in a variety of kilns including wood fired, pit, raku, gas and electric depending upon the effect that I hope to achieve.

I currently work at Marymount Manhattan College in New York where I have been a teacher and studio coordinator for 16 years. Prior to that I worked as an apprentice to a master taxidermist, owned and operated Just Desserts, a small retail bakery in Manhattan and spent a year at the American Museum of Natural History.

All of these experiences have influenced and are reflected in my work and choice of subject matter.