Diana Ramirez-Torres

Clay is a medium that demands to be listened to.

If the clay is not in the right state then you must wait for it

either to dry

or to rehydrate.

There is no good way to MAKE it do what you want

instead

you listen and take into consideration what the clay wants

and at the same time

you push the limits of what the clay is capable of.

That means that every interaction with clay is a dance

sometimes you lead

and sometimes the clay leads you.

Making is such an intimate and long process

For me, my most meaningful works

have all started with a feeling that was so deeply ingrained in my mind,

that my hands HAD to make a reality.

That is the most sacred part of it all

knowing

that the work is not done until

I can look at my creation and feel what I felt when I initially came up with the idea.

Though this sounds romantic, and often times it is

there is also another “sacred” part to my process

ABSOLUTELY HATING IT

on more than one occasion, hating it to the point where I don’t even want to finish the piece

or on one occasion

actually throwing my piece off a cliff

(don’t worry, I didn’t litter, I cleaned it up afterward).

Every so often it feels like my hands

brain

and heart lose

communication.

They all go off in their own directions and the artwork is the one who bears the burden

of these miscommunications.

Luckily, I push through it, again and again.

Persevering

beliving

knowing

that my work is worth getting to fruition.

This process, much like life, has its ups and downs but that is what makes it uniquely mine.

The idea of taking something that many would consider grotesque

and turn it into something beautiful

informs a lot of my work.

Anyone can love the obvious iteration of it

a flower

sunset

the sea

but only those who look beyond the superficial can view

bugs

garbage

carnage

as a more profound embodiment of beauty.

Honesty, protective, vessel.

When my audience sees my current work, this is what I want them to resonate with.

A clawfoot bathtub

the luxury of it all

the memory of the womb

the battle between a space where you fit in

compared to one that you belong to

stillness in time

a place to be at peace

privacy

solitude

lonely?

More than anything

the way you view the work is more reflective of the viewer as a person

then it is of me as an artist