"Origins" by Miriam Carpenter, 2015-17

2h x 28w x 16d in

Nerikomi technique. Hand-built, carved and burnished ceramic. The ceramics were made in 2015 - and the container/display was made in 2017. The ceramic "eggs" are displayed on black sand in a wooden bent tray by Carpenter, inspired by the Hakata Magemono tradition in Japan, and arranged in the style of a Zen garden. Each egg ranges in size from 3.5" - 1.5" - 2" - 1". 2015-2017. | ARTIST BIOGRAPHY : Miriam Carpenter is a contemporary artist and designer based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. As a Rhode Island School of Design alumna, she began her career designing alongside Mira Nakashima. Imbued with heart and soul, her action-oriented form of art is a union of traditional technique, ingenuity and talent that is rooted in a conscious effort to shift perspectives and create lasting positive change. Carpenter’s work has been exhibited most notably at Moderne Gallery, James A. Michener Museum, Wharton Esherick Museum, Fuller Craft Museum, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, DeVos Art Museum, Philadelphia International Airport, SOFA, Center for Art in Wood, Salon Art + Design and Design Miami. She enjoys periodically teaching as an adjunct professor at Messiah University, and as an instructor at various craft schools across the country. She has been awarded six international residencies over the past seven years and is an active participant in artist collaborations including Echo Lake Collaboration (PA), Emma International Collaboration (Canada) and CollaboratioNZ (New Zealand). | ARTIST STATEMENT : Art shifts the way we move through the world and expands the way we perceive. It can be a powerful means of communication, and with the support of one another, we can move forward with integrity and relevance. The inclination to create art sets us apart from other living things on this earth. It is an active universal language that creates ties, discovers compatibility and allows us to realize connections. It is a way of actualizing our intentions and deepens our capacity to love. Throughout my life I have sought the companionship of trees and have an ever deepening reverence for them. Trees are intelligent, resilient, majestic and adaptable. They clean the air we breathe, provide us with shelter, food and fuel. When a tree has reached the end of its life, the shadow of what once was presents another gift in the form of a satiny, warm, sensual material. Each piece of wood has its own story - reflections of moments specific to place and time within the inherent architecture of a species. No matter how long one has worked with wood or how intimately one knows the material, each piece from each tree has its own experience and characteristics uniquely formed by its geographical location, the effects of the seasons, wind, rain, what grew beside it, what pathogens were present, and how it was cut and dried. This history remains in the wood. Understanding how to read the story gives one an opportunity to decide whether or not to pursue further exploration. With respect for its capacity and an understanding of its history, one can be thoughtful, care for it and coax its potential. As a tree reflects moments specific to time and place, so do the pieces we bring to share with the world. If we are successful, we can draw connections, evoke something in others that might expand understanding and help to perpetuate a passion to learn, nurture, respect and explore. I have devoted myself to this work because it is the clearest way I can share the best parts of myself with the world, in the most responsible and impactful way I know how.