Fossils and Bones is a series of ceramic sculpture intended as a reflection on the desert walk where I often encounter remains- bones of the long dead animal and relics of the past. Desert finds are special and rare and highlight the desire to establish origin and story. Fossils and Bones are invented forms created to resemble familiar found bones that defy actual recognition. There is a tension created between the familiar and unknown.

These pieces are an exploration of complicated interior spaces. Invented during the process of making, the forms grow organically, less by design and more through intuition. The interior is exposed, making the hidden visible. The materiality of the clay lends itself to this type of exploration, using a process of construction that encloses and exposes space.

Articles about this work can be found here:

Southwest Contemporary, The Art of Paying Attention to Everything, January 10, 2024,

https://southwestcontemporary.com/elaine-parks-and-the-art-of-paying-attention-to-everything/

Double Scoop Discomfiting Desert Forms, November 13, 2023

https://www.doublescoop.art/event/fossils-and-bones-by-elaine-parks-2/