Vessels

The title of this ongoing series, Vessels, refers to both the potential functionality of these pieces (they are intentionally closed on the bottom and open at the top to resemble a vase or cup), but also the idea that our body is a vessel. Naming each a “vessel” also removes gender expectations from each individual piece, where each vessel could resemble one or more genders.

These pieces were inspired by colored pencil doodles that I had made in preparation for my CAST (Concepts of Art Studio and Theories) exhibition in fall of 2022. This was my first time trying to conceptualize how I would possibly portray the fluidity of gender and its spectrum in such a way that wouldn’t feel too representative and limiting to any one experience. This technique with the colored pencils was very intuitive and freehanded, letting the shapes form themselves as I laid down overlapping colors. I wanted to try and translate this 3-dimensionally with form and surface decoration. When I started creating each sculpture, I was relying on an initial sketch, however as the building progressed I allowed its form and structural integrity to mold the final shape. This proved to be very satisfying, as I was able to hold on to that intuitive nature of the colored pencil sketches. Each time I start building a new one, I only have a very loose idea of what the end product will look like. The extent of that idea may only be that I want two “legs” for it to stand on rather than just one base. I add bulges here and there and it is only when the piece is near finished that I am able to associate the anatomy of the sculpture to the anatomy of a body.