Artist’s Statement - Ruth Apter

I like to collect things from nature: bones and skulls, shells and rocks, fossils and driftwood, tree fungus and giant barnacles, feathers and mosses. You can imagine what my house looks like.

I am fascinated by the natural world and have been focusing on wild edibles from the land and the sea. I love to cook with unusual ingredients and wild harvest as much as I can from the bounty that surrounds me.

My small studio in the woods is my sanctuary. Surrounded by bird feeders and my garden, I work while listening to music or books on tape. I think I have the best of all possibly jobs.

   

I am inspired by artifacts from ancient cultures and domestic and wild animals, the tiniest of plants to the giant trees. What I create is a distillation of what I see.

Playing with basic elements: clay, fire, wood and wind never disappoints me. As the artist I get to be "godlike" and create my own little universe.