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About Into the Abyss:
"Intricately designed exoskeleton; delicate baleen structures; a decorative cord with rounded beads; raw exposed clay next to colorful glazes highlighting detailed surfaces and textures. These are the elements that bind and give these creatures life. Long ago, they once lived where the light shined, but they longed for the comfort of solitude the abyss had to offer, so they began their slow descent into the darkest places in the ocean. The harsh environment of the depths forced the creatures to adapt and become hardened and sturdy in order to survive. They are primordial predators from the deep, feasting on anything that dares to cross their path. They have existed quietly and undisturbed for millions of years, until now. Each creature began with a basic concept: a geometric shape. I explored six shapes that were familiar to me, i.e. oval, star, square, trapezoid, triangle, and circle. After selecting a shape, I researched sea creatures with corresponding characteristics. In the beginning, the forms were very angular and rigid, much like three-dimensional polygons. As I began forming, altering, and refining the form, the piece began to organically take on a life of its own. It’s as if the spirit or energy of the creature directed and instructed me on what movements or gestures to make in order for it to become what it was always meant to be. They were improvised out of geometric structure, to become free flowing unplanned zoomorphic discoveries." - Nicole Ponce |
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About Nicole Ponce:
Nicole Ponce has always been the creative type, experimenting with different media including crocheting, painting, drawing, silversmithing, mixed media and has been working with clay since 2010. Nicole, born and raised in New Mexico, first discovered her love for ceramics in high school. Her work explores the musical qualities of clay, texture, organic forms, use of color theory, symmetry, balance, and contrast. Nicole enjoys the process of discovery by letting the clay guide her movements. It’s a meditative and intuitive practice of push-and-pull, listen-and-respond, give-and-take. Her ceramic knowledge has been accumulating over the past 14 years from working at Coyote Clay & Color, to taking ceramic courses at University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College, to picking the brains of fellow potters, to working at several pottery studios in the District of Columbia/Maryland/Virginia (DMV) area. She teaches handbuilding at Material Things and is the Studio Manager at District Clay Center. Nicole is currently based in Washington, DC. |
