Pensive
Chrystal O'Boyle
Stoneware, cold-finish, copper
Art Dimensions: 8" x 6" x 8.5"
Exhibition - Iowa Clay Conference | River 2 River
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Artist Statement
I am inspired by the endless variety of human expressions that I witness in day-to-day interactions between people. Although human interaction can be made non-verbally through facial cues, the emotion you see may not accurately represent how someone is truly feeling on the inside. By using the figure to communicate my message, I can portray the innate emotion that is put forth and then transferred effortlessly to the viewer. I am striving to toe the line between realism and abstraction. Something that enhances the believability is the surfaces I am striving to create with materials, like milk paint, and different ways of sealing the surface. I am using different finishes to simulate human skin, clothing, fabric, and hair. By incorporating metal into my sculptures, I can give the viewer visual cues to help them imagine the environment the sculpture is in. I am intrigued by the notion that these inanimate objects can be imbued with the ability to communicate with one another and the viewer in a physical language inherent to the human experience.
Artist Biography
Chrystal O’Boyle (she/her) has had a lifelong love of the arts. Born and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Chrystal attended the School of Art at the University of Arkansas and graduated with her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in art education. In 2018, she became a teaching artist at the Community Creative Center, instructing classes in ceramics, painting, and glass fusing. In the 2021-2022 school year, she completed her post-baccalaureate at the University of Oklahoma studying ceramics. While in Oklahoma, she also worked as a studio school instructor at Oklahoma Contemporary.
In 2022-2023, Chrystal served as an Emerging Artist in Residence at Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft. Now, she is pursuing her MFA in Ceramics at SUNY New Paltz in New York. When she isn’t in the studio, she enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.
