After thirty years of design experience, Nancy Bauch’s work is still her meditation. Her work is largely inspired by the observations she makes of the earth…the opening in the ice,  the lines in a leaf, the texture of a rock, the curve in a snowdrift, the light filtering through the forest at dawn. Underlying all is the hidden unity that nurtures her and breathes life into her pottery forms. Nancy goes into nature every day. It is her library of ideas. And it trains her eye to see.

Although she originally tried to imitate nature in her art, she has evolved to the point of working directly with the earth using a more sustainable process. She collects natural elements from her daily walking meditation in nature, and transforms these elements into new objects that dramatize and honor their beautiful qualities. She builds most pieces with clay or waxed linen coils layer by layer. This slow process allows her to contemplate the form while she is building it. By so doing, each piece becomes an experiment that leads to the next experiment.

There are numerous ways that Nancy’s art reflects her love and respect for the earth. In addition to using natural elements, she actively strives to simulate the imperfection and impermanence of nature itself. Each hand-made piece reflects the philosophy of “wabi sabi” an aesthetic that honors the beauty of imperfection. Her work is a reflection to the variability that is nature, and just as no two snowflakes are alike, so too are each of her pieces unique in their beauty.