Gérard De Nerval once wrote that “every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” This November, the Hank & Dolly gallery becomes a veritable garden of lovingly molded blossoms and gently glazed gynoecium. Just as the soul, the ceramic flowers of Alana Williams' “Feelings in Bloom” convey emotions. As their natural counterparts would, each flower elicits thoughts and feelings unique to its form. In her piece “My Desire Is Blooming,” Williams’ emulates the shape of the human heart; delicate gilded petal chambers and valves of bramble express romantic love.

*“My Desire is Blooming”. Stoneware clay, velvet underglaze, acrylic paint. 18'' h x 13 1/2'' w x 10 '' d*

Pressed textures and painstakingly carved details characterize Alana’s light stoneware sculptures. She uses a combination of velvet underglaze to emphasize the fullness of the surface colors overlaid in subtle acrylics. She embraces the use of monochromes to imbue her flowers with a sense of unity and oneness, expressing the artist’s “emotions and past experiences freely” by her own description.

*“Blooming my Mind”. Stoneware clay, velvet underglaze, acrylic paint. 12 1/2'' h x 15'' w x 8'' d*

Williams’ series is a product of genuine sentiment. Every sculpture in “Feelings in Bloom” bears soul and a creative intermingling of nature and emotion. They invite their observers to inspect and admire their every fold and venation and explore their feelings.

“Feelings in Bloom” by Alana Wiliams will be on display in the Harrison Center’s Hank & Dolly Gallery for the month of November. The exhibit can be viewed in person by appointment and in our online gallery, where all pieces are available for purchase.