About Diana Fayt

• LOCATED: Shacklefords, VA
• MATERIALS: Various Claybodies
• SURFACE: Glazes
• PROCESS: Multiple firing methods and temperatures ranging from C6 to C10

My ceramic work intends to honor wild animals on our shared planet. From an early age, I fostered respect and admiration for the natural world while growing up on my family’s farm among the biodiversity of Southeastern Virginia. Working in my home studio next to the farm, I sculpt realistic animals who are singular sculptures or correspond with functional vessels and altered forms. Each animal is presented in gestures of significance and integrity, aiming to invoke an introspective response about personal experiences with animals and our collective responsibility to respect the natural world. Many of my pieces include a vessel, which I have often wheel thrown, altered, and carved to integrate with the animal form and become functional in a domestic setting. I enjoy using multiple types of clay and firing methods to create variation and am constantly seeking to achieve that fascinating moment in nature where symmetry and randomness are one.