Among the Hills and Hollers

Among the Hills and Hollers is a collection of works that pay homage to Appalachian life and culture through ceramic forms and illustrations that portray various aspects of life in West Virginia through my eyes as an artist, and serve, all together, as a self portrait. While I plan to expand this series with works on social and community issues/places, the bulk of the work will depict the critters of WV. I see the animals that live in this land as the groundskeepers of something more ancient and sacred than the modern industrialized landscape we live in today could possibly portray. These creatures, from the Red Tail Hawks that patrol the skies to the Brooke trout that swim through our creeks, have lived far before us, along side us while sustaining our lives, and they will be here long after us, I believe. I find the beauty of the animals that live in this region to be singular and an almost spiritual force that ties the people of this state together. 

Everyone, from the city inhabitants to the isolated cabin dwellers know that in the orange glow of the evening you are likely to see a momma Doe and her Fawn foraging through your flower beds, or during your morning walk see a green cicada clinging to a tree, singing it song. Their sounds, songs, patterns, and colors have come to make up a unique cultural tie among the people here. It is only in the way in which I chose to illustrate and create works depicting them that they become singular to me, yet recognizable enough to form a narrative that is familiar to every Appalachian.