Spiritually inspired art is on display at the River Gallery.The concept of man’s creation being the result of inanimate clay gifted with the divine spark is a belief that has found traction with cultures ranging from the ancient Egyptians to modern-day Christians.
Throughout her life, Asheville, N.C.-based ceramist Becky Gray has turned the tables on this divine notion by using clay to give shape to the spiritual force that pervades the world around her.
“[My pieces] are not religious, per se, but I’m a Quaker, so I see the spirit in all things,” she says. “It would be my hope that any piece I did would have a resonance on that level with the viewer. I hope that it conveys a respect for the people and creatures that I show, a spiritual respect.”
Through the end of the month, River Gallery will feature Gray’s work alongside that of Delaware-based multimedia artist Sister Mary Grace Thul in “Contemplations of the Spirit.”
A figurative sculptor, Gray’s pieces are diverse in their representation of human and natural forms. Some, such as an overflowing menagerie of wildlife called “Ark” (as in Noah’s) are purely decorative. Others pieces are functional, such as the self-evident “Menorah.”