A respect for the natural environment resides at the center of Alice Ballard’s life, and her art grows from the natural forms she sees on walks, in her garden, and in the grocery store’s produce section. She sees nature’s seasonal metamorphosis as a metaphor for human spiritual renewal and rebirth. “The forms I choose often seem to sprout, unfold, move and bulge with inner life and potential…”

This recent work is from the series “Pods.” The heart-shaped forms are inspired by an Asian plant species, invasive to the Carolinas, known as the Royal Empress tree.

Her process — involving mold-making and pressing clay into basic forms which she then adapts and interprets — results in a meditation on individuality within a repeated form.

“A huge influence on my art and my life comes from the geography of place, the place being South Carolina. By that I mean, the beaches, inland waterways, the drama of the horizon line that separates the sky from the ocean, shells picked up on beaches, the constant drama of changing colors, temperatures and seasons and time spent gardening with my grandparents in Florence. Even the red clay soil and the long needled pine trees indigenous to the low county have imprinted my heart and soul and my work. I will have to add that the slower way of life, the unique personalities and color of southern people and their varied cultures, have also impacted my life in a deep and special way. Even the salt air of the coast, the summer heat and vegetation of the south, the heavy scent of the magnolias in July, live on in my conscious memory and in my dreams. Though I consider myself to be somewhat of a world traveler, I always feel that I am coming home when I return to South Carolina.”