Kelli Damron

I choose to work with the voluptuous female figure. I am completely captivated by the way the rolls of the body move and stack upon each other. I find this undulating movement hypnotic. I get lost in the ebb and flow of the figure as my eyes move into and out of the waves of flesh. Recent American pop culture has played a major role in portraying the voluptuous female as unhealthy and unattractive; it has recreated an idea of beauty that is an extreme opposite of the ideals of the past. Through my ceramic sculpture I would like to propose an alternative to the emaciated female figure that is constructed by society today. My own views on the female figure and beauty challenge those of the culture that surrounds me. Through figurative clay sculpture, I hope to re-establish a link to historical ideals of what is considered beautiful. I want to create a view and ideal of beauty that is completely my own. I use amply proportioned female forms to reflect the sublime power of my own body, while defining my personal ideal feminine beauty. By accentuating and augmenting certain aspects, I show the splendor and sensuality of the robust figure. Exaggerated undulating movement creates a great sense of volume and weightiness, and references a timeless beauty. The human landscape moves, hangs, lays, and fold upon itself. By working with the voluptuous or weighty female figure I can show just how these aspects are shown within the body. My figures display a connection to the earth through the use of clay as the medium, as well as her eternal majesty. Although the figures have mass, there is an illusion of weightlessness that conveys their strength, spirit, and convictions of a new ideal. My most recent work focuses more on parts of the body, specifically legs ­ comforting fat thighs, sexy shins, slender ankles and dainty toes. The dialog created between individual parts when they come together in different positions to create a pair, a trio, or more is what I find interesting. By exploring this lower portion of the body in both large and small scale and experimenting with presentation by placing them on the wall the viewer is invited to embrace or complete the piece. Working with glaze textures and imagery, specifically floral weed images, personal narratives develop expressing my own sense of humor and wit. Weeds are the fat people of the plant universe. They are typically thought of as ugly and unwanted, but actually are beautiful and very useful. This imagery lends itself to the playful nature of the forms. The intention of my work, whether new or old, large or small is quite simple: To bring beauty into your life and make you smile.