Pat Swyler
Statement

      Since childhood the human figure has interested me as  subject matter. Recent changes in my life allow me to spend time working from live models in both clay and drawing materials. Although the majority of my work is three dimensional, drawing and painting are essential to the development of my ideas in clay.        

     My current work centers on the human body as a means of expressing concepts. Many of the female forms I sculpt represent nature goddesses. These women hold floral offerings symbolizing love, fertility and compassion—the preciousness of all life. The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection of Asian sculptures is a source of inspiration and reference. These works are designed to create a feeling of peace. I let the plasticity of the clay remain in the finished pieces, emphasizing its textural qualities by using multiple rubbed color layers. The scale of my work is small (six to twenty-four inches), requiring the viewer to look closely, creating a feeling of intimacy.       

     Clay is my medium of choice. Its plasticity allows me to rapidly develop my forms while the firing process transforms them into something stonelike and permanent. My surface colors are built up gradually with a mixed media approach. Oxides and ceramic colorants are fired onto some surfaces while others are finished with oil and acrylic paint layers. Experimentation with color layers is exciting and I often find my final results surprising. Varied clays and firing techniques result in dramatic differences in surfaces. The majority of my work is executed in porcelain fired in an oxidizing atmosphere in an electric kiln.