Emily Burgess-Orton

The hand formed stoneware partners with the acrylic paint as a continuation of

narrative. There is a long history of relief imagery used in storytelling, here I present a contemporary interpretation of death. These materials will outlive me, continuing the message beyond my cycle. The works Life in Decay I, II, III, act as snapshots into the surrealist world created, delivering an intimate image of life that flourishes in the face of death. This interpretation has no moral hold or righteous afterlife, taking away this fear of being damned and stripping back the fear of death to its simplest form. It is natural to fear the end of our lives and not knowing what comes after for our conscious. I take comfort in knowing and understanding the cycle of decomposition, that matter is not created or destroyed but is transformed, and expresses this through my surrealist interpretation so that you may find comfort as well.