Elizabeth Shriver
I work with clay to create an array of graceful, organic forms. These pieces are made through a variety of hand-building methods such as slab-building, coiling, pinching, and forming with molds. Rarely relying on glaze, I use textures, stains, colored clay, and occasionally glaze add visual and tactile interest. I am drawn toward neutral earth tones, and my work reflects the natural landscape, stone, and fossils that are the source of my inspiration. The curving lines of nature inherent in my work generate an illusion of movement, giving each piece an almost lifelike quality. A successful piece is one that begs to be touched as well as explored visually.
Shriver’s ceramic vessels explore the synthesis of organic form with functional application. Some objects share the fragile, graceful, and elegant appearance of plants and sea life, while others have the solid, rugged, and durable look of stone. Ms. Shriver’s “aim is not to replicate nature but to blend artistic expression with the beauty of the natural world.” Borrowing from clay vessel shapes centuries old, these coil and hand-built objects break from the traditional in surface treatment.
Elizabeth Shriver received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa in 1987 and was an award winner in the Museum’s 2004 Tri-State Tri-Annual Juried Exhibition. She exhibits her work in galleries and museums throughout the midwest, including the Dubuque Museum of Art, Galesburg Art Center, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, the Chait Galleries in Iowa City, Iowa.