ABOUT THE ARTIST

New Mexico artist Polly Whitcomb grew up on a farm in Vermont. Since then she has studied painting and ceramics, spent several years training in Zen Buddhism, and has been a potter for 25 years. In 1997 she returned to a rural setting--in New Mexico--where she maintains a studio in an old stone
dance hall.

ABOUT THE WORK

In the past few years Polly has moved from pottery to wall sculpture, which combines stoneware clay pieces and found objects. Many of these found objects come from arroyos near her home. "I try to remain open to the possibilities of each old thing I come cross. From the heap of these items that has collected outside my studio I make a selection that combines with clay shapes into a satisfying whole. Each completed piece is different and is partially determined by the nature of the 'find'. The process is a partnership between the elements chosen and what I bring to it. Some pieces fall into place with startling ease, and others need considerable fiddling and redoing. I find beauty in each of the found objecs and delight in the contrasts and harmonies between them and the clay. I love the juxtaposition of deteriorating materials that are being eaten away by time and weather, and the seed-like new life of the clay forms.