Artist Statement

My work is guided by a meditation on change and impermanence, alongside a fascination with geological weathering and natural monuments. I imagine breathing bodies as rock formations: living records of the experiences and influences that have shaped them over time. Throughout my process, I work intuitively and embrace the unknown: adding and subtracting material fluidly, utilizing the unpredictability of atmospheric firing. The diverse landscapes of my childhood–rocky shores and mountain ranges, temperate forests and river valleys, tidal pools and restless seas–form a deep reservoir of tactile memories that inform my work. As I sculpt, my hands bring tangibility to present emotions as I excavate the terrains of my past. Seeking solace in temporality, I challenge my impulse to seek comfort in delusions of permanence. My work investigates how seemingly static structures can be altered drastically by minuscule, repetitive actions. It ponders the human incapacity to observe gradual decay as it occurs, despite our shared, inevitable surrender to the forces of nature.

Artist Biography

Kade HB grew up in Livingston, Montana and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, amongst a handful of other places. He received a B.A. in Studio Art from St. Olaf College and was awarded an Emerging Artist Residency through the college the following year. He then went on to complete a two-year Post-Baccalaureate in Ceramics at Indiana University Southeast. Presently, Kade is a Wood-Fire Artist in Residence at Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project in Cobb, California.