Sally West

Today, my work includes ceramics, painting, and drawing with Sharpies. I’m exploring themes rooted in childhood memories of place and emotion, along with the grandeur and grit of feminist thought and action.  Through digital platforms—iPad apps, Photoshop—I’ve reimagined female forms and symbols, often connecting them with nature. The Earth has long been linked to the feminine, and I love folding this connection into my work. Landscapes, whether internal or external, find their way into many of my pieces, often sparked by the places I’ve traveled.

 

This sense of nostalgia and reverence will also emerge in a new ceramic series I’m creating this year: hats.  They’re a tribute to my grandmother, a seamstress for a San Francisco furrier who never went to “The City” without her hat and gloves. While these ceramic hats celebrate a bygone custom, they’re also playful explorations of women’s thoughts—no matter how outrageous. And yes, landscapes will likely sneak into the imagery too.