Kimberly LaVonne

Lives and works in Detroit, MI, USA

Artist statement

This body of work celebrates my Panamanian heritage and encapsulates memories from my childhood. Through this work, I honor and identify with my Panamanian background. The forms are inspired by Pre-Columbian Coclé pottery, with soft rounded handles and voluminous bodies. I hand build the forms using coil and slab techniques, a meditative process of manipulating the clay to create the desired shape. They act as canvases for layers of drawings and patterns that I carve into the surface. The pallet is simple allowing the graphic quality of the line-work to pop against the black surface while pinks, greens and yellows reference the vibrancy found in the architecture and tropical environment of Panama.The forms and the drawings carved into them are my way of creating a language that speaks to my desire to stay connected to a part of myself and community that has often felt very far away.

Artwork