D. Fritts
D. Fritts is national recognized for her work in ceramic sculpture. Her one of a kind sculptures are hand-built and multiple fired with a painterly glazed surface. The work is a continuous story of awareness and the celebration of daily living. She received her undergraduate degree in Art Education from the University of Tennessee and continued graduate studies in ceramic sculpture, painting, and printmaking. In addition to her studio practice, D. Fritts conducts figurative sculpture workshops at her studio, and master classes nationally and internationally.
D. Fritts
As a child I had dirt under my fingernails as I played in the creek bed. I continue to allow the earth to feed me information for my art and daily living. Working intuitively from pounds of wet clay, forms appear and stories develop. I may be questioning an occurrence or celebrating a relationship or just being present in daily life. The search continues until I reach the core: the spiritual level of the sculpture. Then the work can speak. At the present, I am exploring new territory in the west while embracing my southern heritage. I am touching ground, getting to the basics, and listening.
I hand build each sculpture, primarily using thick coils, and fire three to five times depending on the color and surface I am trying to achieve. I approach color on clay as a painter. My palette is a combination of oxides, slips, underglazes, and glazes. The form of the piece informs how I should approach the surface.