Bird Nest Final 

Recreating Leslie Fehling’s bird’s nest painting in ceramics for my final was a cool but challenging experience. The painting captures the nest’s delicate beauty, with all the soft lines and natural textures that make it feel cozy and protective. Translating that into clay was tricky because ceramics is heavy and solid, not soft like paint. I had to figure out how to make something that felt light and fragile while still being sturdy enough to hold up in the kiln.

The process taught me a lot about balance—how the nest is both fragile and strong at the same time. Fehling’s painting felt almost like a symbol of home, safety, and care, and I wanted to capture that feeling in my ceramic piece. But ceramics made me think about texture and form differently. I couldn’t just paint lightness; I had to create it through layers and careful shaping.

Even though my final piece is a bit rougher than the painting, it feels like my own version of the nest, shaped by the clay’s natural qualities. The whole project made me think more about how we connect with nature through art, and how materials like clay can bring something so simple, like a bird’s nest, to life in a completely different way.

​​

Sources: 

https://www.lesliefehling.com/​​​​​​​