Natalie Hellmann
Artist Statement
Throughout my life and observations as an individual, I have found that artifacts
within my environment remain a constant source of intrigue and comfort. While
these artifacts may range in size and diversity, they contain a history that transforms
them into sacred objects capable of communicating an individual narrative and
a sense of security. It is within ceramics that I am able to connect past and
personal inspiration into forms that explore the notion of comfort, space, and
shared memory.
From the beginning, I have been drawn to the commitment and reflective need that
ceramics requires. It is the transitional stages and processes that inform the
clay, while also connecting it to a personal language of response. With the introduction
of screen printed images, text, and alternative mark-making, my work continues
to evolve towards living narratives. Through building techniques and image placement,
I find enjoyment in the layering of process and concept to form a single narrative
that drives my heart and hands. It is my goal to introduce these quiet narratives
through surface design, thematic imagery, and an interaction of alternative forms.
Inspiration has become rooted in the concept of flight towards areas of rest and
renewal. These flights carry not only an intrinsic drive, but also an emotive
experience of shared memory passed from generations. Within simplified architectural
forms, I look towards establishing and recording points of landing. These forms
take on my own search in discovering and maintaining security within life. Often
this discovery is rooted in artifacts or whispers of my childhood that I house
and examine. Just as an annual flight includes visits to familiar trees and host
plants, migratory creatures find sanctuary in remembered places and the haunts
of the familiar. My interpretation of this narrative journey pays homage to memory,
shared meaning, and my continual search for sacred space. Within this work and
my continued explorations in clay, I have been provided the opportunity to remain
both a gatherer and collaborator.
Biography
Our experiences remain the path tread by none other, resulting in a journey of
seeing, evaluating, and responding to that, which surrounds us. The development
of my artistic and academic self has grown most significantly from my experience
as an undergraduate at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. Graduating
in May 2006 with a B. A. in Art Education with a minor in Art History and a B.F.A.
with a concentration in Ceramics, I will soon continue my education as an M.F.A.
Ceramics candidate at the University of Missouri. I look towards a future that
will successfully and happily partner my love for ceramics and education. As artist
and educator Robert Henri once stated, “I am interested in art as a means
of living a life.”