Julie Byrne’s (Columbus, OH) ceramic works are informed by stories and dreams that begin as drawings and morph into figurative clay forms motivated by emotions of isolation, anger, and confounded resignation. The emotional link that ties most of these works to one another is a consuming frustration about war, concerns about parenting, patriotism, and the politics of engagement in conflicts. Navigating through the uncertain and politically polarized times, Byrne expresses her fears and anxieties about who will float and who will slip under the water line.
