Clay is earth itself: simple and timeless, humble and enduring. Working with clay allows me to connect with the oldest stories on earth. I love the elegance of balance and a well-turned line, but I also love the imperfect. That which is cracked, crooked, rough and ragged has a beauty and dignity born of endurance. As humans in bodies, we have always longed for balance and perfection, but we live in the rough. In the same way my pieces are figurative, but not rigid. They are expressively shaped, but also influenced by that most basic of materials - clay - and what it wants to do.

I am more of a listener than a directory. I like to think that I collaborate with the materials I use. I bring in elements of old stories from around the world, fine, hand-wrought detail, and sometimes the written word. The rest is the accidental interplay of clay, stains, underglazes, dry pigments, water, and fire. I am experimental and often combine different clays or incorporate found metal recovered from the open areas around my home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I tend to use colors found in nature, and I prefer to leave surfaces unglazed.

Every work is a relic, a container for memories, secrets, and imagination. I invite the viewer to experience them as reminders of own organic nature, our shared and ancient past, and our connection with each other through communal stories and our common sense of mystery.

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Anne Russell lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She studied art at Gonzaga University and in Laval, France. She brings her experience in painting into the colors and textures of her sculptural pieces. Her work can be found in private collections throughout the United States and beyond. Please call or email to discuss commissions or to arrange a private showing.