About Jennifer Rudkin
Starting a sculpture is lonely. It’s just me with my idea. I start pushing and rolling and squeezing the clay, all the time saying in my mind and in my hands “bear” or “elephant” or “bird”, trying to get the soul of the animal into the clay. At this point, creation is a monologue. Much faith is needed. The magic and excitement come at some unexpected moment when the spirit of the piece begins to reside within the clay. It’s not just me anymore. Now there can be a dialogue. I try to help the piece emerge, but my responsibility for the conversation becomes less and less. When the sculpture is done, I am no longer necessary at all. If the piece is successful it will speak its bear-ness or its elephant-ness on its own.
I like to think that my finished sculptures join the living world around them. I work always in the hope that if I can embody the unique essence of each animal, it becomes worthy of a soul. I want them to be more than decorations. I want them to be companions.
In recent years, much of my sculpting has been commissioned: a mammoth to celebrate the end of chemotherapy, a waking bear to signify awaiting possibilities, a crocodile to ease the move from Florida to Colorado. I love joining my vision with others to honor a special occasion.
