Caroline Douglas says of her work, “. . . I often focus on women and animals in my clay work. I am intrigued by stories of the mythic hero who travels inward and the quality of spirit found in the art of primitive cultures. . . .The pieces are about relationship (to oneself or other), healing, and transformation.
Having spent years recovering from a head injury and using her art as a vehicle for the process, Douglas knows first-hand about the transformational quality of art.
She continues, “This particular body of work includes imagery and feelings from trips to Morocco and the Middle East. I became immediately fascinated with camels. . . . After witnessing camels racing with robots on their backs, I had to recreate them. I saw small children playing ball with a chicken head on a side street. I tasted food so amazing that I realized I was drooling in anticipation of the next bite. I felt awe and genuine appreciation of the beauty and richness of the mosques. I learned the basic belly dance. I saw chandeliers made of millions of tiny Swarovski crystals, donkeys laden with burdens three times their size . . . and black burkhas decorated with rhinestones made by Gucci. . . .Seeing a bigger world than my usual experiences gives me a greater sense of myself and the world.
Her work conveys this greater sense. Even the overtly autobiographical pieces invoke universal experience. Her pieces juxtapose human and animal figures with a flare for the comic and a nod toward the primitive. We laugh because we recognize something of ourselves in her characters’ absurd predicaments.
Her art expresses the angst of the times, without taking itself too seriously. Her finely crafted Middle Eastern-inspired pieces, featuring a pale blonde female figure astride camels reminiscent of carousel horses, conjure a certain sense of bewilderment about current U.S. foreign policy.
