“I am strongly attracted to the physical processes of growth, erosion and decay in my surroundings. As I create sculptures using porcelain, metal and wood, I aim to transform these inert materials by imbuing them with biomorphic qualities. Utilizing the beauty of vitreous porcelain clay, I emulate the overall feeling of the living world of corals, mushrooms, lichens, and other colonizing flora and fauna through organic handmade forms. While searching for a place between abstraction and realism, I endeavor to transform inanimate materials into works that suggest life within.” Born and raised in West Michigan, Cara O’Brien studied and explored drawing, painting, fiber arts, carving, and metals in settings both formal and informal before finding her current artistic direction. When not searching for inspiring pieces of driftwood, rusted metal, or weathered boards, she can be found transforming lumps of porcelain clay into organic forms in her Whitehall, Michigan studio.