Tamara Cameron

Clay, the Figure and Santa Fe

The landscape, culture and community in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico have gradually shaped who I have become and, in turn, they have influenced my sculptural work. It is a region of sharp contrasts, that seem to exist in balance - ancient and modern, stark and rich. The architecture of the varied cultures here is, and always has been, dominated by the land and the practical demands it makes. The clean lines help create an aesthetic of simplicity, beauty and honesty of purpose. The purity of a clear night sky, changing seasons and vast, harsh yet beautiful landscapes are collaborative influences.

Why clay? I enjoy the malleability and the tactility of clay. There is an intellectual and a meditative quality when working with clay.

The figure. In essence, the torso is used as a catalyst for finding a purity of motion within a simply elegant form. The abstract quality, or pieces and parts are used to create a whole. Experience, relationship, deconstruction and reconstruction combine to shape each new figure.