Ariel Bowman

Artist Statement

I am fascinated by animals that evolved with distinct features, such as unfamiliar tusks and strange elongated limbs. These provide visual clues to the animal's ability to adapt over time, and allow the viewer to discover something new within a seemingly familiar animal form. I use clay to give these animals new life in the modern world. I find inspiration in the effects of time, and the aesthetics of decay. I see the worn edges of intricate carvings and faded gold as the fossils of great human civilizations; the decorative objects that stood the test of time, and represent our past.

The White Hart. Ceramic, mixed media. 2015. 30''h x 20'' w x 20''d

Summer Research Plans:

My research this summer will be investigating alternative displays for ceramic sculpture, and the scientific reconstruction of the main subject in my work, prehistoric animals.

I am spending the first half of summer at the University of Florida working with Bob Mueller on an independent study in Intaglio printmaking. The work I create will be focused on creating dramatic scenes using depth and a sense of immersion to enhance my ceramic sculptures.

This second half of this summer I will be conducting research on the anatomy of the Columbian Mammoth at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. Using their most complete mammoth specimen, Zed, and other mammoths in the museum's collections I will gain a better understanding of the evolution and taxonomy of this prehistoric animal and its relationship to modern elephants. I will complete a series of sketches of the skeleton, and reconstruction drawings on site. Using oil based clay I will also make small sculpture maquettes while in Los Angeles.

I will also be visiting the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum and conducting research on the visual elements of diorama displays. By studying these forms of display I hope to combine the drama of the stage with the idea of a captured moment in time that the diorama represents.

In the studio I will focus on making an anatomically and scientifically accurate reconstruction of the Columbian Mammoth in clay. This piece will be a scale model of the mammoth using exact proportional measurements. In addition I will be creating several small scale gesture and proportion studies for reference. This intensive study of an iconic prehistoric animal will be the basis for a body of work featuring the Columbian Mammoth as the central subject.