The Artist

In clay, I find a language for the invisible marks time and grief leave on us all. My hand-built ceramic sculptures embody the quiet resilience of natural objects shaped by water, time, and unseen histories. Inspired by oceanic elements such as coral and shells, as well as weathered stone and rock formations, my work features porous, textured surfaces that suggest transformation and emergence. Through deliberate processes of coiling, shaping, and firing, these sculptures parallel the human experience of grief, healing, and renewal, exploring the tension between fragility and strength.

I often ask myself: What did this object endure before it reached me? What life did it live? These questions mirror our own human journey — the unseen struggles and resilience that shape us. Their worn surfaces whisper of hidden struggles and quiet resilience, inviting us to see our own reflections in their fractured beauty. Like these weathered forms, we carry the marks of past challenges and transformations. My work invites viewers to consider their own stories, recognizing beauty and strength in fragility.

The slow, deliberate rhythm of hand-building sculptural forms and the firing process they undergo, echoes the passage of time and the transformation that occurs in grief. Some pieces resemble solid rocks, grounding and offering a place to rest, while others reveal fragility and vulnerability. Together, they speak to the complex interplay of endurance and renewal.

Drawing from my background in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy, my sculptures create tactile spaces that invite reflection on loss, hope, and connection, offering both a personal catharsis and a shared emotional experience.

The Studio

We Are Clay Studios is owned and operated by artist Liz Lubansky in Northern New Jersey. Wheel throwing and hand building workshops are periodically offered throughout the year.