Leslie Ann Rice

As it oozed through my fingers and enveloped me in its earthy aroma, I knew the search was over. Clay seduced me on the spot and has been my vehicle for expression ever since.

My work is best described as intentionally confrontational, leaning towards the grotesque, with a decidedly scatological twist. I count Pop surrealism, science fiction media, Indigenous art, pinup girls, Gary Larson, Elvira, Beetlejuice, and Rodin as influences. It is humanistic and grounded in the figurative narrative- Classical Western Art as seen through the lens of Bay Area Funk. Studying with the faculty at Santa Clara University has allowed unique insight into the philosophies and practices of the pantheon of West Coast ceramists. I see myself as inheriting their aesthetic which can be seen in the techniques, scale, and subject matter of my work.