Paula Bellacera

The spontaneity and plasticity of the clay medium makes hand building a process of discovery — full of surprises. My approach is a collaboration where the clay and I work together to discover hidden shapes and reveal emotions and personalities through animal forms. Just as friends and acquaintances have their own distinctive traits and behaviours, each of my sculpted animals has personality and expresses a unique character. In this work, my intention is to explore higher emotional qualities we share with our fellow creatures and to help us appreciate our differences and ourselves.

Ms. Bellacera grew up surrounded by her mother’s art projects, thinking it was completely normal for the dining room table to be cluttered with painting and sculpting supplies. Bellacera’s interest in art was encouraged and cultivated, but her artistic development was interrupted by college and graduate studies in biology, psychology, and animal behavior. After completing a Ph.D. in experimental psychology at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana her artistic interests resurfaced. She received art training at various colleges and universities in Northern California. Today, as a fulltime artist, Bellacera splits her time between studios in Northern California and Santa Fe, NM.

“In creating her ceramic sculptures, Bellacera lets the malleable nature of clay direct the form. She emphasizes the distinctive character of each bird or rabbit, exaggerating their eyes or ears, to give them a hint of personality. As she notes, the spontaneity and plasticity of the medium makes hand building a process of discovery – full of surprises.”