Artist Statement – Mindy Andrews
Trees and nature have always inspired my imagination. My playground growing up was the idyllic setting of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, situated on 98 acres surrounded by crown land. I believed that the trees would speak to me through their rustling leaves, and I would sing back to them. Many days were spent dreaming in my magical world.
I continue to love the smell, texture and light created by a magnificent forest. For over 20 years I have lived in or near the Canadian Rockies, with its majestic mountains, carpeted by endless forests.
My lifelong connection with nature has directly influenced my ceramic work. Through the use of porcelain clay I am able to create beautiful light and depth, and trees or flowers are painted on the vessels using a variety of slips and underglazes. Sometimes I will carve the trees to suggest the texture of bark. The resulting pieces are sometimes functional, while others are sculptural.
