| Natalie
Blake
Clay came to me like a good dress; the feeling of a perfect fit
when I took my first pottery class my senior year of high school.
My first year at Kenyon College, I tried several techniques in firing
and throwing with the help and influence of visiting clay artist,
Susan Balboni. Subsequently, I designed an independent major in
ceramics with a minor in painting. My senior show comprised a body
of thrown and altered pit fired sculpture. After graduating from
Kenyon, I was awarded the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship offering post
graduates a year of applied research and development in a field
of interest. I visited Indonesia, Korea, Nepal and India, making
traditional pots and learning about their economic role in the lives
of indigenous craftswomen.
Travel has been an intrinsic part of my life since
1982 when my parents moved to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The
move had a tremendous impact on my ability to accept different cultures
into my life, and my connection to the planet as a whole. As I sought
the abilities and routine of rural potters while on the Watson,
I realized the capacity to combine my love for cultures, languages
and world experience with my affinity for clay.
In 1998, I began diving and noticed its influence
on my pieces. The shapes of sea corals and the colors of aquatic
life lent themselves to my work. I continued to develop this work
at a recent month-long residency on the Caribbean island of Anguilla.
After diving in the morning, I worked in the studio to capture the
life and energy of the reef.
My hope is to translate the textures, shapes and colors
of the coral life into my work; as well as remind us of the complexities
and fragilities of the incredible ecosystem of our seas. These natural
wonders must be protected by living a more moderate and responsible
life.
Natalie Blake currently maintains a studio in Brattleboro,
Vermont. She exhibits in several galleries around the United States,
as well as in Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Anguilla, BWI.
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