From the artist:

My ceramic sculpture explores the different components of self, sexuality and family, an dhow these components relate and conflict with one another.

I use forms from nature, especially ones found in plant life, as a means of expressing these components. Being full of dichotomy, the elements of natural forms act as a metaphor for the spiritual, emotional and physical extremes that exist within ourselves, our love relationships and our family units. In the work, I juxtapose one abstract organic form against another in horizontal or vertical format. The "gathering" and "kin" wall pices are essentially conceptual snapshots - moments in time that reveal a hint of emotion, a vulnerability or a triumph. The vertically stacking "pulse" pieces are in a sense life lines or totems, rhythmic visual heartbeats evoking reminiscences of human interactions present, past or imagined.

All the work is hand built using a combination of slab construction, coil building pinching methods, and sometimes throwing. Working rather intuitively and loosely with form and surface, I use a variety of clays to achieve different surfaces and colors. Most of the work is multifired to cone 5, and I use a layering of stains, glazes, slips, terrasigilattas, and sometimes waxes and paints used to achieve rich inviting surfaces.

Leigh Taylor Mickelson
2006

Leigh Taylor Mickelson

Solo Exhibitions

2006 - Generations - Villa Julie College, Stevenson, MD

2002 - Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD

2000 - Inside Out - M.T. Burton Gallery, Surf City, NJ

Selected Group Exhibitions

2005 - Clay on the Wall: 2005 Clay National - Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

2005 - Rhythm and Breath: Revealing the Invisible - Loyola College, Baltimore, MD

2005 - NCECA 2005 Clay National Exhibition - University of Maryland, Baltimore County

2005 - Maryland Clay - The George Peabody Library, Baltimore, MD

2005 - Clay in Common: Baltimore Clayworks Member Artist Exhibition - Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD

2005 - The Uncommon Denominator - Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY

2004 - 1÷3: Blaise DePaolo, Leigh Taylor Mickelson, Maman Rikin - Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD

2003 - Viewpoint: Ceramics 2003 - University of North Texas, Denton, TX

2003 - 2003 Clay National: A Juried Ceramic Exhibition - St. Petersburg Clay Company, St. Petersburg, FL

2003 - Through the Flame: Six Baltimore Clayworks Member Artists - The Tuttle Gallery, McDonogh School, Owings Mills, MD

2003 - MSAC Award Recipients - Maryland State Arts Council, Baltimore, MD

2001 - Dangerous Curves - Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD

2001 - Baltimore Clayworks: Clay in Common - Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC (NCECA 2001)

2001 - Emergence Theory - Charlotte Library, Charlotte, NC (NCECA 2001)

2001 - Mish Mash - Hart-Witzen Gallery, Charlotte, NC (NCECA 2001)

2001 - Ebb and Flow of Nature - The Creative Crafts Council, Strathmore Hall, Bethesda, MD

2000 - First 20 Years: Then & Now - Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD

2000 - Mill'ennium - Sculptor's Inc. - The Mill River Gallery, Ellicott City, MD

1999 - From Within - Rice Gallery, Western Maryland College, MD

1999 - A World of Hands & Fire - Howard County Center for the Arts, MD

1999 - Teaching and Talking Through the Clay: Artist-Teachers and Their Students - Howard County Board of Education Exhibition Hall, MD

1998 - Clay: On and Off the Wall - Villa Julie College, Stevenson, MD

1997 - CROSSCURRENTS 97: Structural Archetypes - University of Maryland, College Park

1996 - Family Tree: Evolution of Genessee Pottery - Sunken Room Gallery, Rochester, NY

Publications and Awards

Fertility and Fragility: The Work of Leigh Taylor Mickelson (Ceramics Monthly, March 2005)

Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award, 2003

Education

B.A., Hamilton College

M.F.A., Rochester Institute of Technology