In order to bring a work life, I use only the pieces before me, as if I had opened a jigsaw puzzle box and spread the shapes all around, recognizing how the image evolves. The challenge lies in a trust that a dynamic will emerge, one that is stronger than any I could preconceive.
-Elizabeth MacDonald
Elizabeth MacDonald in her studio
Bio
Ms. MacDonald, who lives in Bridgewater, Connecticut, has been the recipient of numerous awards, and in 1999 received the Governor’s Arts Award in visual arts. She has most recently shown her work at The Century Association in New York City, and has completed commissions for the chapel in New Milford Hospital, and the Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven. Ms. MacDonald received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Chatham College, and she attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Artist Statement
Clay is my material of choice. With clay I try to create the effects of intimacy and vastness through the use of fragmentation. Small surface elements draw the viewer into a larger context, where many parts interact to form a whole. Organized as a grid, textured squares compose a pattern that balances the organic.
In order to bring a work life, I use only the pieces before me, as if I had opened a jigsaw puzzle box and spread the shapes all around, recognizing how the image evolves. The challenge lies in a trust that a dynamic will emerge, one that is stronger than any I could preconceive.
“Potter/sculptor Elizabeth MacDonald of Connecticut and New York works in clay. Her most intriguing designs are rectangular slabs with an archaeological or geological effect. Their earth-toned layers and striations give the effect of a mountainous landscape, a glimpse beneath the surface of the earth, or a close look at one of nature’s exquisite details. Her aim is to convey, through contrasting textures, shapes and surfaces, an intuitive awareness of time and space.”
-Kathleen Samsot Hawk
Art Voices
January/February 1981
Art at Kings Oaks 