Barbara Fischer Eldred

CLAY!  Literally coming from Mother Earth with the almost magical quality of being totally malleable when raw, and stone-hard durable when fired.  As old as Time, clay has been used to form both utilitarian and decorative objects, often combined into one, or used to create impossible-to-imagine art forms!
 
I have discovered clay as a source for sculpting and forming one-of-a-kind pieces which develop through hand-building and slab formed shapes, even using my knee as a tool.  I love to cut, carve, roll, reshape....to take the material to it's limit. The Native American Culture is an important  inspiration for both design and pattern.  I love the organic and sensual quality of the raw material and these methods of creating.  It is like going back to the Child and playing in mud!  Each lump of clay is a new exploration! 
 
My pieces are often embellished with leather and glass.  All have been changed by the Fire!
 
"What is the heart of the matter in pottery making?  To call into being an object and to ask the object to have qualities which evoke in the viewer a sense of rightness, beauty, or vitality, is to tinker with the divine!" 

carved vase ornamented with leather and beads

clay basket ornamented with leather and beads

carved vase with beaded leather handle

clay seed pot with beaded leather handles

glazed "seaweed" vase

glazed seedpot with red leather and beads

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