SANDRA ASKA

Sandra is a storyteller.

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She began illustrating people through photography and painting, but eventually discovered that her greatest satisfaction lay in bringing those personae forth from the mud. Her interest is the human form and how emotions are reflected in how people position their bodies and gaze. By shaping coils and pressing together slabs to sculpt a three-dimensional portrait, the clay comes to life. Characters are often moody, caught in strange moments of perplexity, quirkiness, ugliness, or beauty. Her work is not preplanned. She begins a figure intuitively, and it emerges from the clay with its own persona. Evidence of fingerprints and tool marks on the surface is shaped by a background in drawing and painting, creating a sense of looseness and freedom in the form.

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A sculpture may be fired four to five times with colorant underglazes at a low bisque temperature, followed by a final glaze at a high fire to emphasize the coloration. The results of firing are often surprising and bring the work to life in unexpected ways.

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Having attended CCAD and The Ohio State University, she received most of her ceramics training at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center and in workshops across the country. She has a studio in Columbus, Ohio.