Bernadette Frerker Larimer ( She/They )

I am drawn to the intersection of mythology, folklore, and archeology, as well as mysticism as it relates to place. My art is informed by my spirituality, my environment, and current events. I am deeply inspired by nature. My work explores a fantastical world related to spirituality and the divine feminine mystique, and influenced by the feminine images, sculptures, and carvings from Antiquity -- in particular, the ancient pottery and ceramic figures found throughout the world. Hand building is my primary technique, with a focus on ceramic sculpture with some additional materials. I create human-like beings with simple feminine forms or emphasized female features that may incorporate anthropomorphic features, as well as other mystical creatures. Currently, I am contemplating fragmentation and duality – specifically, How do we create and see “beauty” in a world with intense suffering.

 I want my work remind us to hope. These pieces may combine mythology, folklore, or history and tell a story which is not always evident to the viewer. Some appear to celebrate, contemplate, or begin a journey of reawakening from a memory of a different time and place. There is a profound connection with the Earth and celestial universe. In essence, I am creating a mythology. In this contemporary moment, I find myself -- perhaps more than ever – as human civilization finds itself at an impasse. Stuck between scientific progress, ecological crisis, polarized political divisions, and fear of “the other,” I believe human beings are turning increasingly inward. As such, my work aims to make tangible my own fantasies of a world reconnected to our deepest hopes and desire for symbiosis with the landscape and communities we live in. In a quiet and poetic manner, it is my hope that my sculptures will permit the viewer to explore their own visions. 

Bernadette Frerker Larimer is a ceramics artist known for her anthropomorphic sculptures. Her work is the material expression of her deep love for nature, spirituality, and the divine feminine mystique. Working primarily with ceramics (stoneware), she employs various slips, underglazes, glazes, and lusters. Her preferred techniques include coil-building and wheel throwing, to create human and abstract forms. She also creates functional work with images of goddesses and other magical beings. Ms. Larimer lived for nearly seven years in the high desert of New Mexico, whose stark beauty inspired her art. She relocated to the East Coast where – although a striking contrast to the high desert – she again draws inspiration from her surroundings, most notably the ocean, woods, and swamps.