Artist Statement

     My name is Madi Hetico and I am currently eighteen years old. I have been creating for as long as I can remember and plan to for a long time. My plan is to receive an art history degree from Flagler College in St. Augustine and be able to one day work in a museum or open up my own gallery. As an artist I don't exactly have a specific style. My art seems to be all over the place and I create based on what is inspiring me at the current moment. A lot of my inspiration comes from photographs, nature, music, blogs, and things that I dream up in my head. Like I said, my art is all over the place but as a whole some themes are repeated throughout. I create a lot of pieces based of off nature and the natural world seems to come out through most of my pieces. I am a big activist of the environment and I think it is something that is very beautiful and important to maintain so I do enjoy using it as a muse. 

     Most all my pieces are created from low fire earthenware clay. Once given an assignment from my teacher I will usually look up pieces similar to what I am supposed to make and see what other people have created. By doing this I get my creative juices flowing and then can imagine up what I would enjoy creating. It takes me time to come up with an idea depending on whether or not I have been inspired by something recently. I am a neat freak so most of my works take me a lot of time in order to make sure that they are smooth and as realistic as they can be. 

    I have learned a lot about art over the years but something that has really stood out to me is that fact that not everyone is going to like what you create, sometimes not even yourself. It's more about the process and the personal growth than the overall outcome. I learn something new each time I make something and I pick up on ways to do things differently. I used to create work in very black and white ways. I would make things in a cookie cutter fashion instead of exploring new techniques. By trial and error, as well as a lot of projects, I have discovered that there is always a different way to do something that may have been more successful. Art is a learning experience and I know that as a artist I will never stop absorbing new things.