Artist Statement

In October 2018, I was diagnosed with breast cancer—an experience that shattered my sense of normalcy and reshaped my life in ways I could never have anticipated. I approached surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and long-term treatments with grit and determination. But what caught me off guard was the emotional toll: the anxiety, the dread, the depression. That’s when I realized that healing my mind would be just as essential as healing my body.

Somehow—almost by chance—I found myself in a ceramics class at the Pelham Art Center. I don’t remember exactly how I got there, but the moment I sank my hands into clay, something shifted. My mind, once clouded with fear, began to clear. The studio became a refuge: a place where I could be fully present, where pain and pressure gave way to peace and purpose.

As my skills grew, so did my vision. The positive energy I received from the ceramic community encouraged me to invest in my education, eventually leading me to the Clay Art Center. There, my work began to evolve. I started incorporating symbols like chains, thorns, locks, and keys—visual metaphors for resilience and vulnerability. These adornments transformed ordinary vessels into protectors of something fragile and beautiful inside. They became reflections of how I now view myself and those I love.

Ceramics, much like life, is never perfect. It cracks. It surprises you. It rarely turns out exactly as planned. But within that unpredictability lies its greatest beauty. That belief inspired the creation of my ceramic line, Beholder—a name that honors the idea that true beauty lives in the imperfections, in the journey, in the unknown.

Since starting - Beholder, I’ve had the honor of selling to interior designers, collectors, and at art fairs. I continue to share my pieces and process on Instagram, with the ongoing goal of challenging myself artistically, connecting with others, and staying grounded in the joy and healing that creating brings.

The series is called “This too shall pass”

Artist Bio

My ceramic work explores the tension between strength and vulnerability through the language of the vessel. I adorn functional and sculptural forms with chains, thorns, locks, and keys—symbols that speak to protection, restraint, and resilience. These elements transform each piece into a guardian, holding and defending something fragile and beautiful within.
Sylvia Arakas-Gutierrez is the owner of Beholder NYC Ceramics, teaches at the Pelham Art Center, and helps run her family’s businesses alongside her husband.