Darby Ortolano, USA

Throughout my life, I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by nature: the tropics of Trinidad, the wooded hills of Upstate New York, the beaches of Florida, the majesty of NYC’s Central Park. Nature provided me with a rich visual repertoire of sensual and evocative forms whose spirit my work attempts to capture. First encountering clay in the early 1970’s while busy with college and supporting my young son, I responded immediately and viscerally to its elemental quality. Formal art training (some would say in middle age) and an academic career followed. A sense of play has always been paramount. Gradually my work transitioned from functional to sculptural—or so I thought. Reinterpreting, not replicating, nature has always been my aim. And sharing my initial wonder and joy of discovery with others.