Artist’s Statement
Megan Ratchford


The use of pottery as a communication medium has fascinated me throughout my exposure to ceramics. This is a medium that is resistant to decay with the exception of melting at extreme temperatures. If shattered it can be pieced together; if buried it can be exhumed. The picture-stories of ancient people on ceramic vessels like amphora are examples of life in that period and can be translated far easier than any written documentation, for as one person sees and describes something it may be imagined differently from person to person.
I use my work as a modern equivalent to the ancient masterpieces and try to communicate imagery that relates to a sense of a dream-like quality of perceived existence in current times. The written word, more symbol than actual contextual information, fills the space between images and interlinks the picture cells. This is a marriage of the intellect and the heart. A summation of quick representations of thought and reflection
The use of this ancient medium with modern images is a blending of times and styles that is part of the meaning of my work. I speak about modern concerns and questions but do so in an ancient format. For truly we move through our days looking towards the uncertain future but always with the blanket of history draping our shoulders.