LYNNE HOBAICA •   Bakersville, NC

"A good story builds up from small details, revealing surprises as it’s told. I approach making art in a similar way. When creating ceramic objects, I work with a dark clay, patching coils together as the form is built. The clay subtly shows through lighter slips and glazes that are layered throughout the process. Narrative images, revealing characters pulled from personal and historical mythologies and fairytales inhabit the surfaces of both my functional and sculptural objects. I’m inspired by the beauty and struggle of the stories we experience, often locating humor in moments that were once painful or embarrassing. Through color and form, my work dances in a world of play, deep emotion, and empathy.

"My work is fueled by thoughts on how our awareness of death propels how we live and is inspired by the stories we experience and will be remembered by. I reveal characters pulled from personal and historical mythologies and fairytales and give them an emotion or gesture that you might connect with; perhaps you recognize an old friend, a past lover or yourself. It is through these connections and more that I am inspired to create, ultimately to share my own stories, and the stories that others have generously shared with me. I find that through sharing stories and smiling or laughing with one another, our compassion for each other and ourselves grows. My hope is that people will connect to the stories that I portray and their hearts will open maybe a hair more."

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Lynne Hobaica received her BFA from Syracuse University and later completed her MFA in Conceptual Ceramic Sculpture at the University of Art and Design in Linz, Austria. Lynne has exhibited work in the US and abroad and participated in national and international residencies. In March of 2020 she was featured along with Rickie Barnett on the cover of Ceramics Monthly. She was featured in Ceramics Monthly again in May 2020 as an emerging artist. She has done residencies at Pottery Northwest, Flower City Arts Center, L'Antica Deruta (Italy), Watershed Ceramics, and more. She currently lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina where she shares a home and studio with her partner, Rickie Barnett and their sweet pup, Smokey.