ARTIST STATEMENT

Artistic exploration is a journey that has taken me down many roads. There is a unifying inspiration to all my work – how can I use layers of texture and color to create a piece of art that asks to be touched and draws the viewer in. While my pieces are often functional, I think of them as sculptural vessels; with surfaces that provide me with blank canvasses. I love all parts of the creation process – thinking about what form I want to create, choosing the right clay to get me to that form, the actual building of the piece, and the treatment of the surface. But, it is the treatment of the surface of the piece where I feel I have the most impact on the viewer. This is where I can create a desire to touch, to look more closely, to explore.

Linda Prager has been working with clay since 1976. Initially, she focused on the wheel, but ultimately decided that hand building gave her the techniques needed to create the type of sculptural, yet functional pieces that she is most drawn to. She uses texture, color, and non-glazed surfaces to achieve her creative vision. She has begun to create purely sculptural pieces, a natural progression of her artistic journey. Since moving to North Carolina in 2010, Linda has studied at Penland, Cullowhee Mountain Arts, and Claymakers and has attended ceramic conferences. She has participated in a number of shows, including at the Durham Arts Guild, Artspace, the Carrboro Arts Center, and Claymakers. She is a member of the Red Clay Co-op. Linda became a member artist at the FRANK Gallery in 2015. Her work can also be seen at the NC Crafts Gallery, and University Florist in Chapel Hill.