expressions and reflections of the self

artist statement:

Pottery has taken over my life quite rapidly over the past four years. It's become one of the key ways in which I express myself. Pottery has also become part of my identity; people recognize me for my talent and skills in pottery, and my work has been personified as both a physical and spiritual reflection of me. This year I spent my time creating a series of work for my AP Studio class that all fit a certain concentration. My concentration consists of the exploration of organic forms and/or features with a focus on nature-themed aspects. This theme connects all of the pieces I entered into the show. Creating these pieces has allowed me to experiment with different techniques and allowed my mind and myself to be fully immersed in the piece; each movement of my fingers alters the piece, changes the stroke of a brush, or imprints itself on the piece. I am a potter, these are my pots created with my hands, glazed with my hands, and they will always be part of me. With all of these pieces, a part of me has been instilled in it through the use of deeper meaning and connection.

—Tommy Van