Friedland, Helayne

email: laynemf@aol.com
website: www.ceramicarts.net and www.bluedoorart.org/artists.php

Artist Statement:
Textures on a wall, the shape of a leaf or bark on a tree , the pattern of shadows or sunlight in a window or on the sidewalk, a shape or color I see while walking down the street. All of these things inform and inspire my work. I am drawn to the quiet, subtle patterns and colors that surround us everyday, in nature and elsewhere.

Using both wheel and handbuilding techniques in each piece, and alternating between cone six oxidation firing and woodfiring, my most recent body of work consists of pieces that speak about the landscape. Textures and silkscreened images (from my own photographs), along with a soft glaze palette of blues, greens, yellows, earth tones and sometimes unglazed areas of clay—work together to capture the feeling of calm and tranquility one would find sitting by a lake, taking a walk in the park or gazing at the ocean….

Clay itself is inherently a natural, organic medium—I strive to retain that “natural” quality in all the pieces I create.