Artist Statement + Bio

I combine architecture with anatomy to describe the complexity of the human body, mind, and experience. Like buildings, people are dense networks of parts (both physically and psychologically); like a city, people can grow, thrive, and decline.

My new sculptures and drawings utilize color to further this conversation: rusty, organic, and skin-like colors juxtapose bright blue, yellow, and white (the colors of Tyvek siding on new buildings). In my sculptures, carvings and decals suggest tattoos and murals, and scaffolding becomes part of the body itself (suggesting physical and psychological support).

Ultimately, my work is about finding awe and beauty in the immensity of our existence: the landscape looks fragile, but it holds; vulnerability and resilience fight, constantly seeking balance.




Clara Hoag received two BFAs from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) in 2009, and received an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Georgia (Athens) in 2013. Clara has been a resident artist at The Archie Bray Foundation and The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft; she has participated in a number of national shows; and she has received grants from the Puffin Foundation, the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, and the Houston Arts Alliance. Clara currently teaches Ceramics at Houston Community College.