Artist Statement
I have always been a storyteller. As a child of technology I found a community of like-minded folk on the internet. Sharing stories and creating connections. I continue to be inspired by creatives all over the world and want to continue to use my platform to share and connect.
Over the years I have explored many forms of expression and I’m really intrigued by the concept of functional art - which ceramics lends itself well to. I have very little experience with the medium but am really enjoying my time with it so far. I have taken a 3 week handbuilding course and I am in the middle of a 6 week intro to wheel throwing course. I find a lot of satisfaction in handbuilding and am loving the challenge of wheel throwing. I look forward to continuing to develop my own style and telling my story with clay.
Over the years I have explored many forms of expression and I’m really intrigued by the concept of functional art - which ceramics lends itself well to. I have very little experience with the medium but am really enjoying my time with it so far. I have taken a 3 week handbuilding course and I am in the middle of a 6 week intro to wheel throwing course. I find a lot of satisfaction in handbuilding and am loving the challenge of wheel throwing. I look forward to continuing to develop my own style and telling my story with clay.
Cover Letter
Hi there! My name is Xochitl Segura-Garcia, I am a 34 year old daughter of Mexican immigrants who hail from the state of Zacatecas in the northern part of Mexico. I was born in Saint Helena, California and moved to the Bay Area in 2009. I lived in San Francisco for about 13 years and attended the San Francisco Art Institute briefly, with a focus on photography. I was overwhelmed with the opportunities school had to offer and quickly began to question myself. Did I belong? Regrettably, I let these thoughts get the best of me. I left school and got sucked into the hustle and bustle of big city life.
I have learned a lot about myself in the last decade and a half, but mostly importantly who I don’t want to be. This feels like a very transformative time for me, for many reasons. I am working on shifting careers. I am grateful to be starting my second year as a part-time contractor for a small digital marketing firm, which gives me a lot of flexibility and allows me to develop a skillset - and I am looking to develop more!
There are multiple reasons why ceramics call to me. I have always worked with my hands, from cooking in restaurants to working in commercial gardens, I enjoy the process of creating and seeing things come to life. There’s also a slowness to ceramics that I would love to explore more. I recently removed alcohol from my life and it’s allowed me to see things a lot more clearly. I think the natural ups and downs that come with the ceramics process would be insightful in more ways than one.
I also want to use this opportunity to explore ceramics in connection to my roots. Zacatecas is full of wild red clay and has been used by its inhabitants for generations. My mother’s home in Mexico is made entirely of handmade adobe bricks and it’s a dream of mine to use that space to develop this craft further. I’d also love to try to bring some usable clay from Mexico to use during this artist residency. I want to explore functional forms inspired by the wide range of styles found in Mexican pottery, from pre-Hispanic sculptures to talavera tiles.
I am grateful for the opportunity to share my story and hope to explore this medium more at Merritt Ceramics!
I have learned a lot about myself in the last decade and a half, but mostly importantly who I don’t want to be. This feels like a very transformative time for me, for many reasons. I am working on shifting careers. I am grateful to be starting my second year as a part-time contractor for a small digital marketing firm, which gives me a lot of flexibility and allows me to develop a skillset - and I am looking to develop more!
There are multiple reasons why ceramics call to me. I have always worked with my hands, from cooking in restaurants to working in commercial gardens, I enjoy the process of creating and seeing things come to life. There’s also a slowness to ceramics that I would love to explore more. I recently removed alcohol from my life and it’s allowed me to see things a lot more clearly. I think the natural ups and downs that come with the ceramics process would be insightful in more ways than one.
I also want to use this opportunity to explore ceramics in connection to my roots. Zacatecas is full of wild red clay and has been used by its inhabitants for generations. My mother’s home in Mexico is made entirely of handmade adobe bricks and it’s a dream of mine to use that space to develop this craft further. I’d also love to try to bring some usable clay from Mexico to use during this artist residency. I want to explore functional forms inspired by the wide range of styles found in Mexican pottery, from pre-Hispanic sculptures to talavera tiles.
I am grateful for the opportunity to share my story and hope to explore this medium more at Merritt Ceramics!