Elizabeth Emery
Biography
From http://elizabethemery.com/Site/home.html
My work is not about creating a linear narrative. Instead, the arrangement of objects, colors, and textures provide a stream of consciousness-like exploration of thoughts, of emotions, of the past and the future. Tactile and solid, and yet simultaneously fragile, these wrapped bundles offer an opportunity to engage visually and intellectually with the surroundings.
"I primarily work with ceramic, however, ultimately, texture and color are my core materials. In placing one object next to another, it is the interplay of those qualities that excite me. With the juxtaposition and range of materials it is often difficult to confidently understand what the material is. Or one thing has been changed into something else an inherently ceramic process: earth to stone. Fabric, yarn and ribbon become hard and pointy. Wax-coated clay looks unfired. Unglazed slip looks like plaster. Plaster is in the clay. Fired clay is painted with ink. Paint looks like glaze. The aim is not deception but a twisting of preconceptions. What appears to be, is not. What you are sure of, is false...
"Hanging on the wall, collected in a row, or laid out for display, the disquieting creatures are reminders of daily horrors and the pain those injustices can cause, even while they exist in a colorful, playful world.
Emery earned a BA in Art History with a focus on Italian Studies from University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1986), a BFA (2005), and an MFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University at Alfred University, Alfred, New York (2008). In Cleveland, Emery exhibited at The Sculpture Center in "After the Pedestal, The 5th Annual of Smaller Sculpture from the Region" (2009), among a number of other popular venues. Emery has also exhibited in group exhibitions including the Alfred International in Beijing, China (2008), RED! at Baltimore Clay Works in Maryland (2007), Southern Tier Biennial at Olean Public Library in Olean, New York (2007), Craft Art Western New York 2006 at Burchfield-Penney Art Center in Buffalo, New York (2006), and 4th Cheongju International Craft Competition in Cheongju City, Korea (2005). Emery has also participated in a number of public art and community projects throughout New York.
