Liz Chilsen

Artist Statement

My ideas are honed in duality and multiplicity, and a deep interest in history and place has long been a part of my artistic practice. The works are touchpoints in history from my family and place. They are part of my ongoing exploration of place and connection to ancestral time, love and loss. Each piece is a container of mystery and promise. I perform smoke-firings at ancestral and family homes, collaborating with fire which records its traces on clay. The process references the impact of fire in my family’s history as well as the force of nature’s elements which we only control to some degree. These fires are fueled with things from my collections and surroundings, such as leaves and seeds from my daily walks, lists and notes from my parents and loved ones, newspapers containing family obituaries and biographies, and other precious ephemera. Burning releases life to feed life.

IL