We lose a part of ourselves when a tumor is removed, cut out of us. It is a necessary violence, trauma for our overall health. The physical pain of surgery and the prolonged emotional and physical stress of treatment are essential to regaining control of ourselves. Even benign tumors that aren’t actively trying to kill you often need to be removed. They can begin to put pressure on surrounding organs, causing complications extraneous to the cancer itself.
Loss. Loss of joy Loss of the self, Loss of identity, Loss of wholeness, Loss of body parts, Loss of unity, oneness, community, Loss of clarity in thought and in mind.
In a way this practice has become in essence grief-work. In order to fully express these thoughts, feelings and emotions sculptures take the place of words that my mouth cannot speak. The ceramic becomes a vehicle, fragile in its nature, much like that lives that the forms begin to portray. Literal and abstract ceramic figures re-embody the thoughts and memories of individuals past and present. The process of their creation fills the void of grief that has been left unaddressed, unspoken, and not dealt with.