Title
Creation Date
2014
Preview
Medium
underglaze and earthenware
Description
Dimensions: composed of 6 pieces, 24" x 42" (overall)
Rights
© Sasha Olegavich Barrett, 2014. Photo credit: Christian Harris.
Keywords
Ukraine, history, culture, memory, childhood, personal, sharing
Artist Statement
I was born and spent my youth growing up in Ukraine. Using earthenware clay, I make wheel thrown functional and decorative work. The surfaces of my forms are painted using heavy, colorful brushstrokes to create a feeling of movement and mood. My imagery portrays the land, culture, and people, specifically those from Pre-Soviet Ukrainian history. The people I paint on my forms represent those who engaged largely in agriculture, making up an overwhelming majority of the Ukrainian population. The red color of the clay refers to the fertile soil. The land I illustrate using colored slips and underglazes is the classical rendering of Ukrainian geography; with the endless yellow fields of wheat, and the blue sky above it. I am fascinated with the rich lifestyle of the Ukrainian people in the late 19th and early 20th century. My work can be understood as Folk, incorporating a sense of tradition yet still hold a contemporary perspective. I choose to make my work functional in order to share the fascinating culture and history of my homeland, through the daily and intimate use my work offers.