Celebrating ideas expressed through art

Somayeh Faal

Where is the fish of the Lake Valley Tui

Illumination brings me the feeling of changing and being born again. I lived in a fertile city surrounded by rivers and wetlands, which now have ecological disturbances caused by human behavior. I highlight how humans contribute to changing the environment and support the environment to have a new beginning and preserve it for the next generation. 10″ x 10″.

An intricate, handcrafted ceramic piece with a circular plate as a foundation. The plate has a raised edge, with a small lip around the perimeter. Centered on the plate is a cup or bowl surrounded by a decorative border. The cup or bowl in the center of the plate is also ceramic and has a wide mouth and a narrow base. It is glazed in a reddish-brown color, which contrasts with the white and brown glaze on the plate. The decorative border around the plate is made up of twisted, rope-like pieces of clay that are glazed in shades of white, brown, and red. These pieces are arranged in a circular pattern, with some of them overlapping or crossing over each other. A lone animal with horns roams the rope-like pieces. A unique piece of ceramic art, with a focus on texture, color, and craftsmanship.
Where is the fish of the Lake Valley Tui by Somayeh Faal
"Survivor" is an abstract sculpture by Breanna Bercegeay, a University of Mississippi Art Student. A cylindrical piece with vertical steal supports connecting two ceramic cylinders. Ceramic forms have holes or areas missing, where one might expect something solid. Highlighted edges illuminate the forms. Missing ceramic and bare, steel columns in the center of the cylinder evoke a sense of emptiness or something taken away. The artist states the piece "shows beauty in the broken." 24” x 6” x 6”. Ceramic and Steel. Pedestal.
Survivor by Breanna Bercegeay.

Jenna Schmidt

Teapot

I have been investigating the idea of finding beauty in
imperfections. The marks I leave behind are an honest product of the building process. I hope the intentional irregularities I leave behind manipulate the pace
of the users, encouraging them to slow down and see things they would have walked by in everyday life. This could perhaps illuminate or shed new light on
the way people view the little things or life in general.

Breanna Bercegeay

Survivor

I recently made “Survivor” to show beauty in the broken. Highlighting the edges of each form illuminates the structure of the sculpture, revealing shapes which are tenuously connected. Steel bars hold the pieces together.

Ceramic and Steel.

24” x 6” x 6”.

The image depicts a ceramic teapot with a unique, weathered appearance. The teapot is positioned on a white podium, and its body is adorned with a light gray glaze that has developed a subtle crackle pattern over time. The handle and spout are crafted from the same material as the body, featuring a matching gray hue. A small, rounded lid sits atop the teapot, adding to its rustic charm. The overall design of the teapot exudes a sense of age and character, as if it has been passed down through generations or discovered in an antique shop.
Teapot by Jenna Schmidt
An off-white sculpture with a rectangular base and a curved top and a flat bottom, featuring a series of holes and cracks on its surface. The object is placed on a white pedestal.
A Stillness Within by Peyton Lawler

Peyton Lawler

A Stillness Within

The piece is influenced by the solidarity that is found in architecture. I am drawn to rectilinear lines because they provide visual support and structure. I built this piece by incorporating a pebble-like texture that as I worked with it, fell apart more and more in the process, which illuminates fragility.

The vessel is enclosed to emphasize the darkness within while the sharp directional changes of line connecting the planes is used to contain the pebble texture… strength surrounding the delicate nature of life.

A “Bearing Witness” Piece

By Jason Bouldin

A painting in a black, rustic frame. Moulding around and at the top of the frame evokes a coffin-like structure. Inside the frame is the painting of a small, deceased bird--delicate and intact. The bird lies on what may be an abstract crumpled stretch of white paper lying on a brown surface.
A “Bearing Witness” piece by Jason Bouldin

Inspired by the artistic tradition of nature morte, or “dead nature.” Jason hopes the work illuminates by inviting people “to consider, to look with patience, to honor, to pay homage. These paintings were created without an audience in mind. They were made as very personal responses to the discarded objects and forgotten creatures which happened to come across my path – they are a tribute, a grieving, a wonder, an effort to be attentive, an attempt to offer testimony and evidence – to bear witness.”

Quote from Oxford Magazine, Apr 26, 2023 | Arts & Culture