Kellie Kottmann

Beneath the Surface

Stoneware clay, glue

3 x 2½ inches

More Info:

Beneath the Surface2026Cone 6 Stoneware Clay & Glaze9in x 3in x 2.5in$150This work explores the juxtaposition between internal and external experiences. The solid black exterior conceals the contrasting white, skeletal interior, creating focus on what lies within. This piece reflects the often invisible nature of personal hardships and the vulnerability it takes to allow these hidden parts of ourselves to be seen. This work draws inspiration from clinical work and personal experiences with mental and chronic illness.

Bio:

Kellie Kottmann is ceramic artist, art teacher, and digital marketing manager currently living in the Hudson Valley. While her educational background is in mental health counseling and neuroscience, her passion is creating with clay and working to inspire young artists. In addition, she is also passionate about improving accessibility within the arts by providing a safe space for neurodiverse individuals to create! Within her own art, her inspiration is drawn from my academic interests and the beautiful nature that surrounds my home in Westchester, New York. The majority of Kellie’s current body of ceramic work explores topics of mental health, environmental conservation, and exploration of self.

Statement:

My work integrates the scientific process, expressive therapies, and the natural world, drawing from both my graduate coursework in mental health counseling and undergraduate degree neuroscience, work with neurodiverse youth, and from lived experience. My predisposition is to be inquisitive and experimental within all walks of my life, especially my creative work. This stems from both my education and childhood experience exploring the natural environment that surrounds my home in Westchester, NY. I primarily work with clay, engaging with the medium in an inherently tactile, embodied, meditative, and experimental way. I approach my work using the scientific methods and experimental procedures learned during my many summers spent in research labs. My experimental work has transitioned from examining brain tissue under a microscope to testing the limits of raw, natural materials and ceramic glazes. The majority of my work surrounds the translation of emotional experience both lived personally or through my clinical work into natural and organic ceramic forms. My work explores concepts of growth, resilience, healing, and community. Through historical handbuilding techniques like coil-building, my process is deeply rooted in tradition while exploring modern topics of mental illness, scientific innovation, and environmental conservation. My creative process is naturally meditative and experimental, influenced by my research and clinical training; My work is focused on experiential learning of vast ways in which clay can be manipulated, fueled by creative flow that is achieved from being present, responsive, and patient with the medium of clay.