It’s interesting, how it works when I continue with a long project. I’ve been involved in the concept of bullying for almost three years. As I live with the work I understand more about my own feelings, and about the subtleties and implications of the universal, devastating phenomenon. Right now I’m making pushovers, an extension of the bullying work.

When I first envisioned this phase of the project I thought about the masses of terrified people fleeing their homes, hoping to find safety, peace, and hope. The intention is to create a lot of pushovers for an exhibition in May. The vision was to mimic the numbers of people being bullied out of their homes. As I make the individual pushovers, however, I can no longer see them as faces in a crowd.

I work intuitively with the clay, allowing the characteristics and personalities to evolve. I never know what the figurative sculpture will look like when it’s finished. I’m almost forced to get to know them as individuals as I refine the surfaces and details. I don’t exactly name them but each of them tells me a story. Each of these sculptures are around around 10"x7".