Molecule  ceramic sculpture  10 x 14 x 4″  $800

Natural order is startlingly beautiful and complex. Microscopic particles, cellular structures, geological formations and the relentless force of entropy are all things that continually fascinate me. I engage these principles by manipulating clay to make these abstract concepts tangible, employing containment, mass, form, and color.

My current body of work focuses on the bowl form. The bowl itself is ripe with metaphor; it simultaneously conceals and reveals. I am attracted to the mass and interior space that a bowl creates, as well as the related metaphor of the human body and its biological processes. My sculptural bowls suggest cells within the body as well as larger organs, building upon themselves to create a complete organism. The smallest elements of a cell are necessary for proper function; without them the organism would be incomplete and ultimately collapse. Similarly, within many of my pieces, smaller elements are required for the completion of the whole. Furthermore, even the earth itself, like the human body, relies upon complex combinations of molecules to build the larger whole. Ultimately, these minute particles are the building blocks for the entire cosmos. I am moved by sensing this same resonance, even within my own body. But despite this awesome force of order, the equally powerful force of entropy and disorder is continually at work, disassembling as quickly as structure is created. This dichotomy is always in the back of my mind, and I continually labor to come to terms with these opposite forces through symmetry and balance within my work.

Through the use of smaller structural elements within the bowls, and smaller trays within the larger tray structure, I continue to invite the viewer to participate in my thought process by actually manipulating the smaller pieces and parts, in effect becoming an intimate collaborator with me. I desire the viewer to feel compelled to touch, to run one’s finger over the edges, curves and textures presented, and possibly re-arrange the configurations. Through this intimate touch the viewer may subconsciously associate with blood cells, a speck of pollen, or the earth’s crust and be reminded of our place in the cosmos.

Andrea LeBlond