Artist Statement
My work explores the psyche, the spiritual, and the intangible through ceramic sculpture. Using animals and their symbolisms as a representation of the inner self alongside fluid forms that reference the elements, my work blurs the lines between delusion and reality, spiritual and corporeal, euphoric and mournful. Inspired by the intense emotional shifts I face as a result of my mental health, I take these experiences and focus on the energy and emotion behind them to create a snapshot of these ephemeral moments. The combination of the figure with organic abstraction gives form to the intangible feelings of existing in between the natural world and the mind, transforming them into material beings that tell ambiguous stories of pain and healing. In my work, there is always an attempt to grasp the otherworldly and that which we cannot truly comprehend.
Biography
Cheyenne Amaya is a visual artist based in San Antonio, Texas. Her work consists largely of ceramic sculpture and painting that explores mental health and spirituality through animal and abstract forms. She graduated with a BFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a concentration in ceramics and is pursuing her MFA in Ceramics at Rhode Island School of Design. She is a recipient of the James C. Elmore II Memorial Art Scholarship by the Visual Arts Committee at the San Antonio College and the Charles E. Merrill Fund at Rhode Island Shool of Design.