Isolde Cortes is from the United States and has lived throughout the country, as well as Europe and South America. Her Ceramic work is mostly self taught with mentoring by accomplished artists in the field. She comes from a Classically trained background that began in Italy at the Florence Academy of Art in 2001. It was while studying painting and drawing that she explored working in 3 dimensions at their sculpture department and fell in love with it. She graduated the 5 year program in both Drawing and Sculpture and then taught at the Academy for two years. After working in bronze from 2006 to 2012 she felt the desire to branch out creatively and use her knowledge of the human form in new ways. Ceramics appealed to her for it’s versatility and beauty. She has found that the variety possible, in terms of surface quality and color, inspires her to constantly discover new ways of creating interest and beauty.

Her Bronze work has been exhibited in New York, London, Dublin, Florence and is in private collections throughout the World. She is now starting a new chapter with ceramic and looks forward to her continued evolution in this age old medium. Isolde is based in Brooklyn, NY.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I believe that life is an exquisite opportunity for our consciousness to evolve. This evolution is inevitable, however some individuals go about it in a conscientious way, often choosing a path that includes practices such as prayer, meditation and chanting. These practices are predominantly a Yang (Male: of the mind) path. Both female and male aspects (yin and yang) exist in everyone, yin: associated with the heart and body, yang: associated with the mind. Yet because we live in a world where the masculine is considered superior, instead of equal, an imbalance is created, which if adopted, is a detriment to us individually and collectively.

I am interested in the feminine or Yin path, in which emotions are a means of purification. My ceramic figures explore experiences of the heart and senses: Grief, ecstasy, stillness, yearning. Experiences that are vitally important and that when fully explored are a means to personal growth, wisdom and the possibility to bring greater balance to our world.

Beyond the emotional expressions of my sculptures, each has its own story to tell. I use everything at my disposal: color, shape, patterns and symbols to evoke different connotations which can provide continuity as well a juxtaposition of ideas and cultures. These stories often express how life can be beautifully symphonic as well as paradoxical in nature.

EDUCATION

2014 Mentored by artists: Cristina Cordova, and Jason Bige Burnett

2011-12 Nancy Utterback, Pottery Lab, Boulder, CO

2007 Awarded 4th year continued study and private studio, Florence Italy

2006 Florence Academy of Art, Sculpture Graduate, Florence, Italy

2002-03 Taught & mentored by Joe Paquet and Ben Fenske, Painting (portait & landscape) and Figure Drawing, St. Paul, MN

2001-02 Florence Academy of Art, Drawing Program Graduate, Florence, Italy

TEACHING

2006-08 Sculpture and Drawing teacher, The Florence Academy of Art, Florence, Italy

2004 Sculpture Course, Ashland Academy of Art, Ashland Orego

2015 May 3rd. The Florence Academy of Art Inauguration Exhibition Newark, NJ
March 6th. 3rd Clay & Glass Biennial, Brea, CA
2014 (Fall) Currently Applying to Shows and Galleries with Ceramic Sculpture
2006-10 Various group shows with bronze sculpture, including:
Florence Academy of Art, Florence, Italy
W.H. Patterson Gallery, London, UK
Gormley’s Fine Art, Dublin, Ireland
Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York, US