Kelsey Bowen

Kelsey spent her childhood in the California foothills, growing a root system of inspiration in animals and nature. She received her BFA in Ceramics from the California College of the arts in Oakland and currently creates work as a Long Term Artist in Residence for the Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana.

LEARN HOW KELSEY CREATES HER INCREDIBLE WORKS

Artist Statement

Childhood​ ​is​ ​my​ ​metaphor​ ​for​ ​grief;​ ​a​ ​way​ ​of​ ​continuing​ ​to​ ​feel​ ​love​ ​and​ ​conjure​ ​memories​ ​of​ ​the past,​ ​a​ ​calm​ ​heaviness​ ​that​ ​holds​ ​me​ ​in​ ​a​ ​place​ ​of​ ​both​ ​sadness​ ​and​ ​nostalgia.​ ​Memories​ ​of times​ ​before​ ​the​ ​recent​ ​passing​ ​of​ ​my​ ​grandfather​ ​are​ ​sacred​ ​spaces,​ ​while​ ​others​ ​that​ ​uncoil can​ ​be​ ​unwelcome.​ ​My​ ​metaphor​ ​is​ ​a​ ​recurring​ ​theme​ ​in​ ​my​ ​work,​ ​drawing​ ​on​ ​childhood simultaneously​ ​as​ ​both​ ​the​ ​fairytale​ ​and​ ​the​ ​nightmare.​ ​​My​ ​sculptures​ ​are​ ​often​ ​vessels​ ​that capture​ ​the​ ​echoes​ ​of​ ​small​ ​children​ ​playing;​ ​sometimes​ ​the​ ​echoes​ ​are​ ​of​ ​my​ ​own​ ​voice borrowed​ ​from​ ​the​ ​time​ ​and​ ​place​ ​they​ ​were​ ​created​ ​years​ ​ago.

My​ ​tactile​ ​relationship​ ​with​ ​clay​ ​is​ ​my​ ​process​ ​of​ ​release​ ​and​ ​understanding.​ ​When​ ​I’m​ ​working on​ ​a​ ​piece,​ ​I​ ​feel​ ​in​ ​fleeting​ ​moments​ ​that​ ​it’s​ ​come​ ​to​ ​life,​ ​existing​ ​both​ ​here​ ​in​ ​reality​ ​and​ ​in​ ​its own​ ​surreal​ ​narrative.​ ​Working​ ​with​ ​my​ ​forms​ ​and​ ​creating​ ​these​ ​brief​ ​moments​ ​for​ ​myself​ ​are my​ ​last​ ​lingering​ ​stitches​ ​of​ ​childhood​ ​and​ ​a​ ​way​ ​to​ ​connect​ ​myself​ ​to​ ​what​ ​is​ ​no​ ​longer​ ​my tangible​ ​reality.​ ​For​ ​a​ ​moment,​ ​the​ ​fantastical​ ​objects​ ​in​ ​my​ ​world​ ​are​ ​alive​ ​and​ ​the​ ​stories​ ​I​ ​am telling​ ​are​ ​curiously​ ​real.