I present work in three divergent formats: wall objects, offering bowls, and ceramic art quilts.
At heart, I am a maker of objects that consider the wonderment of human experience. Creating a dialogue of nostalgia between maker and viewer is important. I concentrate on capturing moments in time through simulated objects. The results represent an investigation into the curious ephemerality of memory and the human need for record keeping as testimonials to who we are.
I remain true to the aesthetic of simulating nostalgic objects, yet more recently, have strayed away from my natural tendency to create realistic replications. Instead, I am exploring adaptations and imitations amid my traditional realism. Surface and scale become enhanced. Relationships between objects allude to the fluidity of our desires and thoughts in attempts at predicting outcomes. The subjects, independent of my intended symbolism, encourage viewers to reflect personally.
Formerly known as Chapman, my work has been exhibited throughout the United States, in the mid-west and southeastern states. The work has been reviewed and published in periodicals and newspapers, making history at the American Quilt Society’s National Quilt Museum. I have presented at local, state, and national conferences—from ceramic venues like the Monarch Tile Show, the National San Angelo Ceramic Symposium, the Contemporary Art Center’s Art Speak in New Orleans, Potter’s Rendezvous of Louisiana, NOLA Fired-Up!, the Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art’s Art Summit, National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, to the Amelia Island Quilt Guild and other more personal workshop venues. I have work in multiple collections, with purchased acquisitions to The Bluegrass Museum of Contemporary Art, Newcomb Art Gallery, the City of Jacksonville’s West Regional Library, The Crystal Dehan Museum, and other permanent university and corporate collections. My fondest honors include Artist Enhancement Grant awards and, at Jacksonville University, the prestigious Excellence in Scholarship and Professional Activities and the Excellence in Service faculty recognition awards.
I am currently ranked as Professor of Art in Ceramics at Jacksonville University, and serve as Chairperson for the Division of Visual Arts. I hold a Master of Fine Arts degree from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Texas Women’s University.