Giovanna Pizzoferrato

Lives and works in Wiscasset, ME, USA

Artist statement

My artistic practice explores creating objects using processes of painting and drawing. Since 2007, I've painted systems, connections, or the structural interiority of objects, acting as a container or vessel. My subjects are drawn from personal experiences, such as the engine of my 1979 VW, my sister's aquariums, and rosaries handmade by my Vovô (grandpa in Portuguese). I draw from observation or source user manual diagrams and illustrations from my daily life. In 2020, I became an itinerant artist, working predominantly in ceramics. I’ve maintained my focus on painting and drawing, often creating wall-hanging pieces. My artwork is a journey in translation, reshaping my interests into a ceramic syntax. I explore societal and mythological hierarchies as reflected in subjects like Saint Lucy, Leda, and Medusa. My interest in language as a system is manifested in paintings of signs, with a centered image and accompanying text. Some of these signs I encountered while others I invented. I am fascinated by ancient systems with specific vocabularies, as in chess, sailing, or artists firing a large kiln together. Inherent in my translations is the concept that a painting is an object. I use the language of painting in conjunction with the earthy nature of clay and slip, incorporating artisanal processes and glaze recipes shared by fellow artists during my travels. I present my artworks in a way that exposes their relationship to systems while honoring them as objects engineered...

Artwork