“I grew up in a small town and when I was young, I worked in a store’s customer service department. Observing human shopping behavior, I was exposed to a surprisingly wide array of emotions. It showed me how people tend to let petty things interrupt their ability to enjoy the world and other people.
This piece was made while I was studying with Kensuke Yamada at Penland School of Crafts. Since then, I have been dealing with the human figure in my work. I have never been good at expressing my feelings or ideas with words, and creating these figures in clay has given me a voice.
I work in clay because it is so connected with the earth. Clay requires all the things that my generation is disconnected from: dexterity, patience and time.”
Ashley Bevington obtained her MFA in ceramics from the Columbus College of Art & Design this year. While pursuing her degree, she worked as a ceramics lab monitor.
She received a Winterfair scholarship from Ohio Designer Craftsmen in 2013. This fall, she will be attending graduate school at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania.