Youthful Days

by Jessica Zekus

My work celebrates childhood and our earliest memories of our youth. Our minds have an amazing capacity to recall the moments in our lives when we were the most emotionally affected. Some of these moments we cherish, while others we would rather forget. Our memories of both extremes contribute to shaping who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we view others.

Raw clay, like children, contains seeds of potential and possibility. Both by nature are vulnerable, impressionable, and dependent on others. All people and clay also have a history. For clay that history is revealed in the firing process; it cannot hide its cracks, warps, or imperfections. My work highlights the coiling process by allowing the material and the craft to be seen. By exposing the coils, the history of each piece and the evidence of its maker are revealed. The exterior surface records the impression of my thumb as it glides along the ropes of clay. The layered surface looks knit-together as the coils wrap around each curve and bind every limb. The malleability of the clay is restricted only by the handling of the coils. It is my goal to preserve this hand-crafted method as well as experiment with its capabilities.

Through the process of coiling and keeping within the ceramics tradition, I have crafted child vessel forms. Each form begins with a pair of awkward feet and concludes with a deliberately curious gesture. By specifically crafting an archetype of the child figure to be believable rather than literal, I have pushed the limits of how figurative a vessel can be. My result is the abstract figure. My work conveys the image of childhood, or youthful days, as perceived by the passage of time and the distortion of memory. These ceramic figures exist in a peculiar reality that hovers somewhere between an unconscious daydream and a nostalgic experience.

When we ponder our days of youth gone by, our reflections radiate emotions of joy as well as sadness, the tenderness of love as well as the pain of loss. What significance do we place on childhood? How do we grapple with our memories? Do we cling to them or do we leave them in the past as we approach the future?