My Artist Statement

I have always felt an overwhelming desire to create. I’m not sure why I do what I do, other than it just makes me happy. I prefer not to get analytical about my inspiration and motivation to be creative. Instead, I agree with Edward Betts when he says, “Too much self-analysis lets the air out of your creative balloon”. With that being said, I hope you enjoy viewing what I have created as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Working on mosaics is very much like putting together a puzzle. One importance difference is that my puzzle pieces are constantly changing as the process evolves. This constant change and the fact that I start the creative process by forming the key elements from clay, make each of my mosaics unique. After the clay pieces go through the firing process, I begin searching for glass, stone, or ceramic tiles to incorporate in the piece. I try to include materials that enhance the quality of the original clay work. I like the way that the glass tiles look with a clay piece that has been Raku fired, and the way that the stone complements the unglazed, stoneware clay.

I find the most enjoyment in the very beginning of the creative process and at the very end. I love working with clay in its natural, unfired state. At this point, the clay is capable of anything. I especially enjoy forming clay into the faces that become suns or moons. Each face begins to take on a personality of its own. As the clay goes through its many processes of drying, firing, glazing, firing again, there are times that I begin to question the outcome. At times, the parts and pieces don’t seem to meet my expectations. It is not until I see the process through to the end that I am satisfied and surprised by the beauty of the finished work. Each piece is a journey of its own. It is in the end that I almost always discover there is great satisfaction and surprise at the end of the journey.

~Cindy Miller