Artist Bette DelVecchio

Like most children, my options for self-expression were limited by the group of adults surrounding me…their rules, their budget, their decisions, their philosophy.  This colored every aspect of my world, particularly my artistic vision.  Fortunately, I was quite small, so the challenge of clothing myself in things that fit and that were acceptable opened a door to the wonderful world of second-hand stores.  In them, I could find the raw materials for creating anything I could imagine while spending almost no money.  In retrospect, this was the very beginning of my life as an artist.  Whether it’s reworking used clothing or creating art by throwing a pot, restructuring it and rejoining the pieces or creating a painting, the end result is the same:  an original creation which represents my unique vision, my sense of proportion, my philosophy, and, when I get it “right”, the essence of who I am.

My love of clay is directly tied to its ability to become anything from nothing.  It’s one of the most basic of materials and a building block for our very existence.  It is soft and hard, new and ancient, rough and smooth, easy yet incredibly demanding.  No matter how complex or structured it becomes, it ultimately returns to the earth to cycle once again.  There’s hope in that. There’s joy in the creation of the object along with energy in its birth, its duration, and its death.

The pieces I make are simple, reflecting my love of just about all things Oriental. The simplicity emerging in my current work is influenced greatly by a  trip to China, where I was reminded of my love of a balanced design that is pleasing to the eye.   I want my work to be well thrown and to feel good in your hand.  I want the balance to exist, and the source of the balance to remain a bit of a mystery.  I want my pieces to withstand the eye of the critic, the excitement of the collector, and the test of time.  I want to achieve a spark of energy in the way it looks, the color it displays, the thoughts it provokes, the memories it evokes, and the joy it brings in daily life.

                        -bette