Rebecca Stansbury

I make work that sparks my inner child. I am introspective by nature and seek to bring much of my inner world’s concepts into visual form. The characters I invent are often flawed, quirky or represent my thoughts about the various ways individuals cope in social settings. My work is a mix of narrative figures and bas-relief wall art. My works often, despite their form, represent the antics of small children, referencing the various ways we learn to cope in social settings. The animals I make are not intended to be anatomically correct renderings, no, I select animals for their physical characteristics, or my personal history with them, or their body type bests suits the expression I aim to tell visually. I feel experiences intensely. It compels me to process what I feel into visual statements with the use of symbols, words and poetry or visual imagery. This accounts for the why I am drawn to narrative work. It’s an outlet for how I see, interpret and experience the world around me. It helps me to process what I’m carrying inside. At times it can be very uplifting, optimistic and joyful. These, joyful types of work coincide with times when I have a lot of heaviness that I am coping with. My work often lifts my spirits. I like working in a medium that has been used for 1000’s of years. How to make it contemporary? My interest in sculpture is to show the experience of the common man, flawed yet functional. The ancients idealized man in their statues. Today, marketers show us idealized man in advertisements. I’m wanting to appeal to viewers to see a beauty and adoration of the less than ideal version of 'everyday man' in a gallery setting. On a pedestal under lights. Were it not for ordinary people in the world doing ordinary jobs, the world, as we know it, would stop functioning. My hope is for my simple, approachable works to spark viewers empathy, occasional humor; emotional attraction or repellent. To spark is to live. I work with porcelain and stoneware which are usually fired in oxidation. I prefer fired finishes as I find the fusion of glazes with clay important to me. Some pieces require mounts and bases custom made. My husband and I collaborate on those designs. He is my mount maker working with wood, steel and concrete.
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Pondering Paws

$250.00


   

Lamb

$250.00



Vase

$250.00



Face 1

$250.00



Face 2

$250.00


  

Lamb

$250.00



Vase

$250.00



Face 1

$250.00



Face 2

$250.00



Little Buddy 1



Little Buddy 2



Little Buddy 3




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Naimah Stith, Galleries Manager 
naimah@theclaystudio.org | 215-925-3453 x115


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