Protector of Mystery Species: 2016, ceramic, underglaze, 31” x 17” x 29”; Surfing Slug Bunny: 2016, ceramic, underglaze, 42” x 49” x 18”
2015, ceramic, underglaze, 38” x 49” x 27”
2016, ceramic, underglaze, 7” x 9.5” x 4”
2016, ceramic, underglaze, gold leaf, 2” x 13” x 12”
2014, ceramic, underglaze, 96” x 96” x 1”
2014, ceramic, underglaze, 96” x 96” x 1”
2014, ceramic, underglaze, 65” x 38” x 23”
2014, ceramic, underglaze, 65” x 38” x 23”
2014, ceramic, underglaze, 50” x 39” x 30”
2014, ceramic, underglaze, 62” x 31” x 23”
Artist Statement
Trans-utopian-celestial-dream-pop is the term I use to describe the aesthetic and concept of my creative vision.
The original Greek etymology of utopia meant "no place", and later converged with the English homophone eutopia meaning "good place" resulting in a linguistic joke: The good place is no place. This internalized supposition perpetuates complacency in our society. Trans-utopian de-constructs this calcified ideology through tran-scendence. Celestial-Dream-Pop describes contemporary folk art reconstructed through the methodology of a cosmic-seeker.
Firing clay turns a porous substance into a stable, vitrified object with a permanent molecular arrangement. This transformation is a reflection of manifesting thought-forms from the raw materials of creative energy through intentional manipulation of personal belief.
-- Kelley Donahue
Bio
Kelley Donahue was born in Ketchikan, Alaska, and grew up in Etna, CA. She received her BA from Humboldt State University and MFA from Alfred University with a concentration in Ceramic Art. She currently teaches ceramics at Jersey City University and BKLYN Clay and lives in Brooklyn, NY. She loves dancing to techno music, holding Moon Ceremonies, learning about herbal medicine, and doing yoga after a day in the studio.