Jessica A. Williams

2010s_ construction paper, ink, and Elmer's glue_ not exceeding 13.5x6x12 cubic inches (34.29x15.24x30.48 cm)

This geometric striped tom cat was accomplished by bending papers and fixing their ends with glue in order to create the shapes I needed minimalistically. To fix the ends at a perpendicular intersection (mainly the stripes), I left some excess paper which I slit vertically halfway and folded the two resulting sections in opposite directions to glue flat. The ears have many of these slits at their base to fix a longer expanse to the head. Over the years, the colors have faded and tension of the papers have eased, so this is the piece after having been adjusted once due to the decomposition of time.

2011-12_ glazed ceramic_ not exceeding 7.5x7.5x7.5 cubic inches (19.05x19.05x19.05 cm)

This is an abstract functional bowl depicting a bird whose wings double as fish heads. The fish sustains the bird, making it able to fly, and the both of them sustain the contents of the bowl to serve us in our life.It is blue like both the sky and water. Re-occurring in the pattern are eyes, which symbolize many things including experience and interpretation, both about and shaped by life.

2011_ glazed ceramic with twine_ not exceeding 4.5x3x10 cubic inches (11.43x7.62x25.4 cm)

When people walk into my home and see this piece displayed, they ask me why a shoe is on my mantle and are shocked when they touch it to discover that it is a sculpture. It is a life-sized re-creation of an old shoe of mine by Run Athletics. One of the major challenges of this piece was not simply sculpting it realistically, but only having clear and orange glaze to work with. I simplified the color and pattern of the shoe down to a monochromatic scheme achievable with my available glaze, and still was able to make a convincing work. The bottom of the shoe is engraved with the pattern of the original shoe as can be peeked at from the upturn of its forward-face.

2011_ ceramic with clear-glaze interior and copper wash exterior_ not exceeding 9.5x8x5.5 cubic inches (24.13x20.32x13.97 cm)

This large functional coil pot was inspired by of one of my favorite childhood books, "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney in which a mongoose saves a family from a deadly cobra attack.  The coil not only creates a wall for the mongoose to climb, but becomes the body of the snake. Between some of the coil are spherical sculpted stones, much like the stone fences/walls depicted in Pinkney's watercolor illustrations for the book. The snake's and mongoose's eyes, as well as the mongoose's nose, have clear glaze to make them reflective and give life to the characters.

2011-12_ ceramic with glaze_ various sizes

This series started with the Elephant Tea Pot whose ears serve as handles, nose as spout, and giant leaf upon his head as lid. The leaf is a reference to Japanese folklore of Tanuki, a racoon-dog that has transforming abilities aided by placing a ginko leaf upon his head.

Each piece in the series is functiona with a wheel-thrown base that was ten sculpted on . Here, the HedgehogJar (one of two) serves as a sugar cube container. The Miniature Horse and Tiger serve as tea cup with tails as handles. The Turtle Jar is a requested piece in the style of a Shuckle from the Pokémon franchise. Its body was based, however, by my original Turtle Cream Container whose neck and open mouth served as spout. 

2014_ raku-fire glazed ceramic_ not exceeding 4x7x7 cubic inches (10.16x17.78x17.78 cm)

This is a wabi-sabi (侘寂) piece depicting a person hunched on their knees with protruding spine, hands to their face and cuts on their wrists. Despite the simplicity of its form, it expresses anguish and pain with its body language.The figure is one with its base. It consists ofpolished raku glaze spread from the base only halfway up the body as if this person is emerging from the muck bellow, or is being consumed by it. It is an analogy for depression.