Jennifer Gross | Ceramic
Creating art has always been a source of personal freedom and expression. As time has passed, it has evolved into something much deeper and necessary to my well being, like a mental or spiritual exercise. When I’m in the process of creating I can let go of everything. Like a cleansing, all the things I accumulate simply fall away. Art making is both active and reflective. A therapeutic time to slow down and become introspective. People, relationships, my environment and beliefs, along with an overactive imagination all combine together to create the subject matter of my artwork. I see it as a transformation of the mundane to reflect its highest properties.
I am completely enchanted by the human face. Like the picture to a story, it reveals so much about a person and each is different from the next. Most of our senses are located on and near our face and much of our communication is conveyed through it. The sacred gate to the brain, the crowned jewel, the face represents individuality, personality and identity. Although I enjoy working with various types of media, clay gives me the most satisfaction. I love that I can use my bare hands to sculpt any object and still indulge in the illustrative aspects of surface design. Ceramics is a medium that came to me later in my life.