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Amy Laugesen is known for her modern-day equine “relics” that span from large-scale commissioned public artworks to small mixed-media treasures. Mainly working with ceramics, Laugesen has mastered techniques to create works that look ancient, drawing from Eastern and Western clay sculpting traditions, and a variety of glazing techniques to achieve the unique color of each sculpture. Her ceramics are paired with vintage metals, porcelain casters, and metal, wood, or stone bases.
LAUGESEN: The process of discovering the essence of a herd of horses within the mud and transforming this into contemporary ceramic artworks continues to captivate my artistic imagination. The Blue Mud Herd conveys a spirit of playfulness, freedom, community, shared journey and collective movement. Abstractly, the grouping of horses also conjures up images of a flowing river or a mountain range. Each horse is sculpted in clay and designed to complement the others while maintaining its own unique gesture and personality within the herd. The design of the bases enables the pieces to be arranged close together and rearranged in diverse formations. One of the glazes I use is a cobalt-blue glaze that is formulated to crawl, resembling dried, cracking mud when it is fired on the ceramic horse form.
LAUGESEN: Sculptor Deborah Butterfield has been an influence and inspiration since college. When a professor told me that it was a cliché for women to create equine art, she gave me the courage follow my passion and focus on the subject of the horse.
LAUGESEN: I am deeply inspired by the connections and conversations I have with people about horses. I find great joy in hearing from individuals of all ages about their personal and unique relationships with these magnificent creatures. My hope is that viewers will experience a profound and emotional connection with my sculptures, evoking cherished memories and feelings.
“Nebulae can either be regions where new stars are born
or the remnants of dying stars.”– Amy Laugesen
