The physicality of working with the clay is essential to my work, the weight of the clay and its readiness to be molded. All of this plays a part in using this earthly material to form human icons of pain and healing. Submerged and isolated in this process, a silent conversation starts, moving back and forth, asking questions, gnawing on this bone, this flow runs its natural course. Informed and inspired by my studies in religion and philosophy, I contemplate the human journey, the trials and the gritty healing process. I explore human emotions that are not easily defined by words and its energy whether it is being suppressed or shown. Icons, idols, and religious art holds an allure for me, images that hold so much power that it actually embodies a part of the divine, transfiguring from mere earthly materials to an expression of transcendence. Using these ideas, I am compelled to provide evidence of the struggles people face on the surface of the human body. Cuts, nicks, and scratches -- chips, tears, and brokenness offer a present decay that shows the fragility of humanity. The scars and marks illustrate these tribulations, the building blocks, that make us human.