I can still remember the first time I saw a picture of the Venus of Willendorf and felt the simplicity of the lines, but the deep meaning behind the imagery. That single piece has stayed with me and has shaped the work I have created throughout my career. I have also been extremely influenced by the relational work of Louis Bourgeois and the sweeping lines and negative spaces of Henry Moore's figures. My work has always focused on female body image in society and those moments that shape you physically and figuratively. The relationship of emaciated versus voluptuous and the construct of beauty was my first group of work in earthenware. Then I moved on to bronze pieces and played with the idea of negative and positive space and the correlation to negative and positive body image. My recent body of work is a deconstruction of the aftermath of motherhood on the female body and psyche. This work is constructed in clay and glazed in a metallic finish to highlight the nuances of every bend and curve as well as represent the armor we wear in motherhood. Each piece is built around a paper armature which is removed after the clay moves to a leather hard state allowing the sculpture to collapse onto itself. Once the body has settled I define, remove, and round off what remains. The end result is a sculpture that is an abstract representation of the new position of previously intact body parts and preconceived norms. This female form is now in its new normal state seeing as it has changed from its original composition. It is strong and complexly full, but at the same moment it is hollow and deflated. Any mom can tell you this is a daily juxtaposition of motherhood. This series of work is meant to express how immensely strong and unique woman are after entering this stage of life. While experiencing this power we can feel at the same time hollow, gorged and completely out of place even when that may not be the reality seen by others. Each success and every mistake make a mark on our core. Becoming a mother to three children redefined my own idea of femininity, body image, confinement and fulfillment. Every day is a struggle and celebration all wrapped into one happy yet exasperating package. This work is meant to be a visual representation of this emotional phase of life and I am confident it will resonate.