Anna V. Freeman / At the Water’s Edge

May 24 - June 22, 2024

Ceramics

Artist Statement:
In this exhibition, I focus on the edge as a location, the boundary between water and land, and the edge as an idea, the limit of water availability as an alarming climate-related concern.  The fluctuating boundary area between wet and dry places is fraught with warning of submersion, while also being a location that draws people to it.  In my work, imagery of abstracted layered rock strata combines with seaweed, cracked dry earth, and glossy tidepools with raindrops, flowing across the surfaces of my ceramic sculptures. My work explores our relationship with the environment, particularly our role in climate change and in transforming the surface of the earth over time.

Inspiration and personal connections to my imagery come from many sources, including travel and exploring my family history.  I am fortunate to have a book of “Sea Mosses” gathered and pressed by my great-great-grandmother in Newport in 1901. Her book has served as a springboard for me to gather my own sea mosses, both from the same beach in Rhode Island and from the area where I live now in coastal Virginia.  I wonder, what were her thoughts as she explored the water’s edge at the turn of the century?  As I press the seaweed that I’ve collected into the clay to make textured imprints, I reflect on all of the changes over the last 123 years to our social and environmental landscapes, while connecting with earlier water-loving generations of women in my family through working with my hands.

I construct my ceramic sculptures from wheel-thrown porcelain and stoneware clay, altered and combined with slabs to create asymmetrical forms and softly curved wall-hung tiles.  I use a range of surface design techniques, including incised lines, hand-pressed textures made with found objects and materials, layers of brushed underglaze, and the water erosion technique for subtle relief imagery.  After bisque firing, I apply layers of multiple glazes to create contrast between glossy and matte surfaces, resulting in a balance of color and texture. 

Biography:
Award-winning ceramic artist Anna Velkoff Freeman lives in Virginia Beach, VA, where she works as an artist and art instructor, teaching at Tidewater Community College and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art.  Anna concentrated in Ceramics and Printmaking at Alfred University's School of Art & Design, where she earned her B.F.A. She earned her M.F.A. in Visual Studies through a joint interdisciplinary program at Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University.  Her work has been exhibited across the country and is held in private collections internationally.  Images of her work have been published in books including Image Transfer on Clay, 500 Ceramic Sculptures, Ceramic Sculptures, and Ceramics Today.

Website: www.annavfreeman.com
Instagram: @annavfreeman
Facebook: Anna V. Freeman Ceramics