Christine Baxter

My work is primarily figurative and representational, though representation serves as a vehicle for exploring emotional response. While sculpting, I examine my own reactions to the subject, aiming to create a similar dialogue with the viewer. Once the physicality of clay and the likeness of the model are established, subtle shifts in expression—an angle of the mouth, tension in the brow, the focus of the eyes—can alter the emotional tone. In both human and animal subjects, gesture, weight, balance and bodily language shape the work’s impact. Successful figurative sculpture engages the viewer at a visceral level.