It is difficult to describe the emotions that one can feel while meeting a polar bear in its natural habitat. It is a mixture of delight, excitement, fear and great respect, which is aroused by this several hundred-kilogram animal, which is able to reach a speed of 40 km/h in a few seconds, and is just as at home in water as it is on land. It is undoubtedly the ruler and a symbol of the Arctic.
I am also fascinated by the complex nature that I see in the character of this solitary nomad: peace and majesty marching through the tundra, patience and persistence in tracking, strength and brutality in attack, tenderness and caring in motherhood, stubbornness and determination to survive in one of the harshest conditions on Earth.
That is why the polar bear is a character that inspires me and to which I often return in my ceramic work. I look at him and discover him while face the challenge of containing so much in such a small piece of clay over and over again.
Quite often, figures of bears are placed on stone bases. Sometimes even the stone is the beginning of creation. It provokes me to choose a specific animal pose, type of clay or finish. Here, these two natural materials: clay and stone, complement each other, harmonize and become one whole.
In the CLAY & BEAR line you will find figurines of various sizes and different ceramic techniques, but they have one thing in common: clay as a material and the polar bear as a theme. The resulting work is what came out of that connection.
I also wanted my clay bears to be something more than just a nice collection of ceramic polar bears. This is how the idea of the CLAY & BEAR project was born through which I would like to share my ceramic art with other people, bring people closer to this wonderful animal and interest them in polar issues and draw others’ attention to the threats and the need to protect arctic areas.