Erica Iman

I am a sculptor and painter working primarily in clay and raw earth materials. My forms are based in geology and fragmented landscapes while exploring the inherent properties of the materials to connect and react to them in a natural way. The powdered black iron used in my black glaze is also used to create my paintings. They are textured and tactile and explore similar form, edge, and three-dimensionality as in my ceramic work. I work intuitively, responding to the form, surface and overall feel of the piece, ripping at edges and emphasizing natural cracks. Many of my techniques come from mimicking nature’s processes such as freeze and thaw, extreme moisture and drought, and erosion. I am drawn to a sense of timelessness, the origin story of a stone, a glacier, or cracked desert earth – something that roots us in our existence beyond what humans have constructed.