Donna Polseno

DonnaPolsenois known for mid-range electric fired figurative sculpture and pottery. Figurative sculptures are hand built using an iron rich terracotta.Polsano'spottery is slip cast, altered and reassembled. Glazing practices include satin matte hues withstylizeddecorative motifs of flowers, leaves, birds or simple line work indesignedcombinations.Polsanouses a system of wax resists and liquid latex to build layers of glazes and decorative motifs.

About her pottery,Polsanostates, ?I have made many different types of pottery over my career but have always been interested in the way decorative elements can be used to enhance a form, whether one is using an elaborate pattern or the simplest marks.?1

Polseno?sfigurative sculptures are often constructed as singular stylizednarrativefemale formswhich have a sense of mass.Oftenthe gesture ofvessel in handis used. Female figures often feature unglazed earth red clay as a prominent surface treatment, with glaze as an isolated decorative element.Also part ofPolsano?ssculptural work is the careful assembly of her vessel related forms on a ceramic plinth.About her workPolsenostates, ?My interest is in portraying the essence of a woman; her capacity symbolically and in the flesh, to give life, to nurture, and exhibit both vulnerability, beauty and strength.?2

In addition to her personal creations,Polsenohas been instrumental in developing the annualWomen Working with Clay Symposiumat Hollins University in Roanoke,Virginia, serving as the director for many years. A link to the symposium can be accessed here:https://www.hollins.edu/academics/workshops-online-writing-courses/women-working-with-clay-symposium/.

1http://www.donnapolseno.com/statement.htm-Cited February 5, 2019, 5:00PM.

2 Ibid.