Artist Statement
Adrienne Kitko
I find comfort in meditating on the reliability of Mother Nature’s design and believe it is my job as an artist to ascribe her as my muse. Though my practice is one that is diverse within my medium, it falls within two main categories.
One series of my work is based on my intimate investigations of the natural world and how it translates into clay. Fossilized red coral, microscopic pollen, or the reticulations of a geranium leaf are places where I find the underhand beauty of the natural world and translate it with clay as the language.
The second direction my work takes is a more personal one. World War II has a distinctive place in my heart. My late grandfather, Arthur Viola, was a member of the 11th Armored Division. After procuring and reading my grandfather’s service book, writings and photos, I felt the need to illustrate his and his narrative with clay. Each man and woman carried a canteen, naturally creating a strong bond of intimacy and affection with this object through the years of war. For this, I created eleven ceramic canteens to pay homage to their division number. This vessel provided the weary solider with two of life’s essential substances and desires: water and hope.
In this body of work, the canteen has transformed from a common utilitarian means of water to the device in which my grandfather’s story unfolds. The canteen is a lens that allows the viewer to experience what my grandfather and the men of the 11th Armored Division witnessed with their own eyes. Throughout the European countries of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, their story unfolds.
The gradation, from white to black, that is created by the overlaying of the images that my grandfather brought back from the War represents the notion that war is not black and white, and aids in the chronology of the 11th Armored Division. The last canteen is the darkest because neither my grandfather, nor any of his division members came back home the same sweet boys as when they left. The cumulative images and the memories of the experiences that they had temper the innocent soldiers and cloud the past. With this work, I express my gratitude for all the men and woman that fought for our country and humanity in World War II. Moreover, I hope to aid in understanding the affects of war and how it reshaped the lives of the solider and their families.
I created art when I was young because I could not articulate my feelings, desires, worries or questions in words. My practice has given me the vocabulary to speak my truths, examine myself and satisfy investigations. Whether it is a functional piece, a sculptural canteen from WWII, a portrait of a friend or carved clay that exhibits nature’s design, I create in order to understand the world around me.
Adrienne Kitko
I find comfort in meditating on the reliability of Mother Nature’s design and believe it is my job as an artist to ascribe her as my muse. Though my practice is one that is diverse within my medium, it falls within two main categories.
One series of my work is based on my intimate investigations of the natural world and how it translates into clay. Fossilized red coral, microscopic pollen, or the reticulations of a geranium leaf are places where I find the underhand beauty of the natural world and translate it with clay as the language.
The second direction my work takes is a more personal one. World War II has a distinctive place in my heart. My late grandfather, Arthur Viola, was a member of the 11th Armored Division. After procuring and reading my grandfather’s service book, writings and photos, I felt the need to illustrate his and his narrative with clay. Each man and woman carried a canteen, naturally creating a strong bond of intimacy and affection with this object through the years of war. For this, I created eleven ceramic canteens to pay homage to their division number. This vessel provided the weary solider with two of life’s essential substances and desires: water and hope.
In this body of work, the canteen has transformed from a common utilitarian means of water to the device in which my grandfather’s story unfolds. The canteen is a lens that allows the viewer to experience what my grandfather and the men of the 11th Armored Division witnessed with their own eyes. Throughout the European countries of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, their story unfolds.
The gradation, from white to black, that is created by the overlaying of the images that my grandfather brought back from the War represents the notion that war is not black and white, and aids in the chronology of the 11th Armored Division. The last canteen is the darkest because neither my grandfather, nor any of his division members came back home the same sweet boys as when they left. The cumulative images and the memories of the experiences that they had temper the innocent soldiers and cloud the past. With this work, I express my gratitude for all the men and woman that fought for our country and humanity in World War II. Moreover, I hope to aid in understanding the affects of war and how it reshaped the lives of the solider and their families.
I created art when I was young because I could not articulate my feelings, desires, worries or questions in words. My practice has given me the vocabulary to speak my truths, examine myself and satisfy investigations. Whether it is a functional piece, a sculptural canteen from WWII, a portrait of a friend or carved clay that exhibits nature’s design, I create in order to understand the world around me.