My current work is a cerebral exploration of my mental states. By getting to the roots of my own anxiety and depression and further exploring subjects like motherhood, sexuality, life balance, and upbringing, I create work that resonates universally while simultaneously reflecting my personal experiences. I choose to sculpt the female body in all of its operations, using scale, vignette, and color to encourage the viewer to further confront their own psyche and presumptions.
In my studio practice, anxieties and revelations materialize through clay. Both sculptural and functional, the objects I create are continuously evolving as I further explore the complexities of the human condition from a female perspective. My studio practice has given me a venue to explore the more “private” aspects of my identity. Emboldened by the #metoo movement and other current events revolving around female liberation, I create pieces that normalize a variety female anatomy and promote healthy sexual expression and exploration.
I see my work as a self-portrait that is ever-changing as I am physically and mentally maturing. My art practice as crucial to my mental wellbeing as medication and therapy. It works as a cathartic outlet that has given me a voice to communicate feelings that I had previously felt compelled to hide. Jamie Bates Slone is currently an Assistant Professor of Ceramics at the University of Oklahoma. She received her MFA from the University of Kansas and her BFA from the University of Central Missouri. Her current work uses self-reflection to further explore themes like anxiety, depression, sexuality, and womanhood.
