DELORA BERTSCH  -  Artist Statement



    My art and my life are not divided into components.  I combine them together as one unique whole personal aesthetic enjoyment.  My life changes continually, whether I am ready or not, and my art changes along with my life. Every day, I seek a new consciousness and wholeness from a feminine perspective.

    My works speak of dreams, life and mystery. I explored a Japanese philosophy and technique called Raku. The firing method is a very challenging and difficult process as I experiment with many different glazes and natural plants. Notice how the vessel (below) has gestural smokey strokes that float over the lustrous gloss, overlapping one another, with a rich luminous graceful caress added by the greenish- purple peacock glaze.  The exterior was added with a mixture of eucalyptus leaves, stripped recycle color magazines and newspapers, then allowing myself to drop the piece for post fire smoking. Added with glass tear drops in each scallop for visual beauty.

    The RAKU VESSEL (below) has a special meaning to me. As an artist, I am putting my thoughts and dreams out into my works. Beyond the gloss is memory, a part of history. Our history is not always objective truth: memory shapes how we perceive it, and so the history is our truth.