LISA BELSKY •   Philadelphia, PA

Lisa Belsky is a studio artist and art educator from Philadelphia, PA. She received her BFA from Tyler School of Art and MFA from Ohio State University. She has been teaching studio art for over 15 years in a variety of academic settings including the Columbus College of Art and Design, Ohio State University, Otterbein University and several community art centers. She is currently the Assistant Director and teacher at Black Hound Clay studio in Philadelphia. She exhibits her work across the country and has been featured in several publications.

"My ceramic work explores ideas of preservation, memory, transformation and connection. Each piece begins with hand knit or crocheted fabric. The art of knitting and crocheting was passed down through generations of women in my family and has been an important part of my life since childhood. I use a combination of deconstructed garment patterns and traditional stitches to explore form. The fiber is soaked in porcelain slip to imbed the material with clay. During the firing process the original fabric burns away and the porcelain solidifies, leaving behind a remnant or record of what was once there. The stitches, now preserved as clay, become the structure and texture of the new object. The pieces all go through some degree of stress and strain during firing which causes folding, slumping, split seams and even collapse. I welcome these changes and view them as an important layer of the work."

Regarding her recent work on paper, the artist writes: “I've been using watercolor and ink as part of my studio practice for many years. The immediacy of watercolor offers a nice contrast to the slower processes of knitting/crocheting and working in ceramics. My drawings and paintings are made intuitively with focus placed on the rhythm and pressure of each brushstroke, the range of tone made from each brushstroke and the direction of each mark on the paper. Delicate ink lines are drawn in response to each brushstroke creating connection and flow.”