BIO
Jarica Walsh is a graduate of The University of Oklahoma, receiving her BFA in Media Arts with an emphasis in Filmmaking. She is a multidisciplinary artist, motivated by optimism and an appreciation of our plant relatives. Walsh is the Director of Visual and Public Art for the Oklahoma Arts Council. She was born in Pawhuska of Osage and mixed European heritage and is a proud citizen of the Osage Nation. She lives and works in Oklahoma City, sharing a home and studio with her ceramicist husband, Tim.
STATEMENT
I make art that strives to provide healing and progress, and that examines our relationship with ourselves, our planet, and our universe.
My sculptural ceramic artwork intends to strike a balance of strength and vulnerability. The Star Series reflects a connection to cosmic bodies. Inspired by a night sky and the notion that we are all made of star stuff, but beyond that, this work honors my Wahzhazhe (Osage) ancestors and our origin in the stars. Each individual piece is meant to connect with the whole body of work, and yet is unique in its improvised pattern. These nonfunctional vessels are infused with positivity and blessings to be shared with those that hold them, functioning as talismans. I believe in the ability of these objects to hold meaning, transfer energy, and to heal. The Fragility Series is a reflection of rebuilding after a setback. Begun as a response to the intense loss and fear felt by so many in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, the meaning has grown beyond that instance. The work speaks to the strength and courage of resistance and of being stronger than we realize. These works are hand built of porcelain discs with limited connection points, itself an exercise in fragile construction. The sculptures appear as if they might fall apart to the touch, but they are strengthened by the firing process and the connections are solidified by the intense heat. The artworks are made of porcelain with only a light application of clear matte glaze in order to maintain a pure presentation of the clay. The Self Portrait series uses red clay showing the direct human connection to the earth, in contrast to the bright white porcelain of my other ceramics. Some works take human form, others are more abstract.
I create photogram prints of my ceramic works as well as plant life, using the cyanotype process. This photographic process creates an outlined positive image of the work placed on the paper. The erasure of details, aside from outlines, allows for focus on the print of the ceramic piece and its unique pattern. The midnight blue background further reinforces the connection to the night sky. I am incorporating storytelling, recording both personal and global experiences, in the prints by means of careful composition and handwritten graphite additions to the backs of the works. The prints of my ceramic artworks capture a fleeting moment of the sun meeting the earth, honoring the sun that powers us and transforming the ceramic sculpture into another form, extending the life and impact of the piece. It presents an opportunity to collaborate with nature, and to experiment with pushing the ceramic artwork in a new direction as subject of the print. The botanical materials collected for printing are shed naturally or gathered in routine pruning, striving to respect the important relationship of plants and humans to care for one another.
I work to bring quiet introspection and vulnerability to my creative process, demonstrated in the meditative carving of patterns into the clay, the careful collection of botanicals, and the addition of the handwritten thoughts. It is done with the intention of reflecting the contemplation and openness into the artwork and installations, inviting the same of the viewer with the goal of finding common ground and healing.