Marissa Y Alexander
Stoney Creek, ON, Canada
Biography
Marissa Y Alexander is an artist currently living and working in Hamilton ON. She builds with clay to make both functional and sculptural ceramic objects. She is interested in the process of discovering form through coil building and establishing alluring surfaces, creating pattern and narrative to visually describe her vision - vision as something of great beauty - vision as envisioning contemporary life. Marissa received her MFA in Ceramic Art from Alfred University (2019) and was previously a full-time Artist-In-Residence at Harbourfront Centre. She has a BA in Sociology from McMaster University and an Advanced Diploma in Craft and Design (Ceramics) from Sheridan College.
Artist Statement
The different streams of my work are united by coil and line. A coil generates form, form creates edge and silhouette, edge and silhouette frame surface. A gesture as simple as making a line, when performed repeatedly, builds and transforms. I feel free when using coils to establish forms - there are no restrictions, the possibility of where the lines lead to is endless. Through this process I am able to engage my intuition and as concepts (my thoughts) progress throughout the rhythm of making, I develop families of shapes. The slowness of building one coil at a time invites the potential for the process to be disrupted and flexibility to wander from original ideas. When I am in the studio working with tactile clay, I am able to intimately experience objects and ideas. Material and process are central to my ceramics practice and I aim to make things that engage myself and other people.
