Life Vessels: Tempest Bowl Series - About to Fall to Pieces is a deeply personal reflection for me. When I was working on throwing the bowl, it collapsed just as I was finishing it, which felt like a metaphor for vulnerability and fragility in life. To address this, I experimented by taking the bowl and bat, inverted it, and hanging it upside down for a while until the clay had firmed up. This process was a turning point, allowing me to manipulate the lip of the bowl in a new and meaningful way. The piece embodies the emotional turbulence we all experience—moments when we are about to fall to pieces, lips quivering, bodies shaking, tears flowing. I see these feelings reflected in the bowl, capturing the rawness of human emotion. I hope viewers can see much more in this piece—an exploration of resilience, fragility, and the strength it takes to rebuild ourselves after falling apart.