"Cephalopod 2"

Polymer Clay

4" x 2"

2023

Artist's Note:

I have recently began making these creatures since completing my BFA at Stan State. Originally created in high school, these ambiguous tentacle figures represent non-human life through the lens of spirituality. I am currently calling them Cephalopods. "The word "cephalopod" comes from the Ancient Greek words kephalḗ (κεφαλή), meaning "head," and podós (ποδός), the genitive singular of poús (πούς), meaning "foot". Together, they literally translate to "head-foot" and describe the defining characteristic of these marine invertebrates: a distinct head with a ring of arms or tentacles attached to it." I imagined these creatures as sort of imaginary friends as a child. When they lingered on in my life in dreams and in the corner of my eye as shadow people, they took on a more symbolic understanding as something spiritual or alien. Yet somehow still a part of this world as if the imagination were so strong, it manifested a connection with a spiritual or alien being from beyond this world. Through creating these creatures, I connect with memories of the past and imagine life alongside Cephalopods.