Artist Statement

I am a woman who lives between two worlds, my native Chile and my new home, Santa Fe. My art is inspired by this fact and by my condition as a woman, mother, daughter, wife, sister, friend as well as a professor. Through my sculptures I attempt to talk about that safe and warm place we all seek for and need in life… Home, that place that nurtures us with love.

I aim for a balance between my different interests as an artist by allowing myself to work sculptural abstract forms inspired by nature, like seed pods, as well as figurative shapes, three dimensional pieces and bar relieves.

My media is mainly clay, all types of it, because of its willingness to let me hand build and play freely to achieve shapes in which a constant dialog between form, color, surface and texture takes place. I strive for clean shapes, lines and gracefulness. My creative process starts with a vague idea scribbled on a paper, but once I get my hands into the clay a more intuitive journey begins, inviting myself to be completely present and involved in the making. I can shape, punch, carve, push, color and texture for hours, aiming for those little things that make the difference. I feel this is what identifies me as a Human being and artist.

My creative journey has always been hand on hand with my passion for teaching, first as a professor for 17 years at the Catholic University in Chile: always in my private studio and lately at Santa Fe Clay.

Andrea Pichaida

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