Aleta Chandler

Johnson City, TN | Exhibiting Since 2012

I like to get muddy.  I like to push up my sleeves and use clay to reinterpret what I see in my mind, hoping for little loss in the translation.  And, if the two aren’t exact, I enjoy learning more about myself along the way.  Textures found in nature inspire me to incorporate them into architectural environments.  I make individual bricks and/or slabs, each with their own texture and combine them to create sacred places of containment, refuge and mystery.  I use gritty, dark colored clay that reminds me of making mud pies.  Nails, chunks of wood and bits of copper are just some of the found objects used to help my pieces become more realistic.  Places of uncomfortable boundary are where I want to be.  These edifices are dwellings within which I am comfortable, not only being there myself, but allowing you to see them and be there with me also.