FRAMED

FRAMED: COURTNEY SHARPS

VPA SOPHOMORE @SHARPS.SCULPTURE

“The inspiration behind almost every one of my pieces is an emotion. Whatever I’m currently going through or even what I’m feeling the moment I first touch the clay is what drives my work. I think having my work focus on emotion is a really important outlet for my own feelings but also something everyone can relate to. I want my work to be both personal and universal.

I have always struggled with anxiety and thought this project would be a good exercise to find a way to keep track of that underlying uneasiness. Making ceramic figurines to symbolize my anxious feelings was really therapeutic. I used clay because it is the medium closest to my heart and set it up in my studio space because this is where I go to escape those anxious moments. I also made the figures without any specific features so that the concept could be relatable for the audience, if that is something they wanted. Finally, I used unfired ceramic because it is when clay is at its most fragile and temporary, much like my fleeting yet uncomfortable experiences with anxiety.”