Mary Lee Kerr

     I create abstract sculptures in clay. Many of my sculptures show the stages of women's lives, from birth to independence to partnership to parenthood. I'm interested in the tension between the desire for safety and connection and the need to take risks and reach outside of ourselves toward the unknown.

     Just as my human forms portray the cycle of life, I also make natural forms that represent the endless cycle of birth and death and rebirth. In each piece, I use flowing lines that draw the eye around the entire form, or holes and hollows that invite exploration into the shadowy inner structure.

     I sometimes finish the clay with layers of paints and wax to achieve a metal or stone-like appearance. More recently, I have been finishing my sculptures in a wood-fired kiln. In this ancient process, wood is fed by hand into a large brick kiln for several days, day and night. The ash that settles on the clay pieces melts to produce natural glazes ranging from dark browns and oranges to purples and blues. The effects are unpredictable but have a unique and natural organic beauty that is difficult to achieve through any other firing process.

     I have been creating portrait and figurative sculpture for 20 years. I received training at art schools and studios around the country, including the Torpedo Factory in Virginia, the Loveland Academy of Art in Colorado, the Scottsdale Artists' School in Arizona, Touchstone Center for the Arts near Pittsburgh, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I have exhibited my work in galleries and art shows in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

     Please contact me at info@kerrsculpture.com if you have questions about my work or would like information about specific sculptures.

   Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

     My sculptures are currently on display at Radius, the gallery shop of the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.