A man with a beard in a white hoodie and a head wrap taking a selfie with a mountainous landscape in the background. The scenery is cloudy and the mountains are partially snow-capped.

Westley Olmsted

Hunt Residencies IX

I am a ceramic artistic, working with a low fire, red clay body. I draw inspiration from architecture throughout history, artifacts, and recognizable organic forms, trying to hone in on themes particular to my ethnic and cultural background.. I aim to communicate the sensitive struggles of the global south and offer critical commentary on those who benefit from said struggle. The clay body begins as a representation of the diverse skin tones among the black diaspora of the world and how the process of heat alters our skin, changing the tones, as well as the kiln offering as metaphor of the struggles we've endured; how it hardens us, how we stand, how it's a must if we are to survive. I hope to push limits, ruffle feathers, cause discomfort through growth learning.

Model buildings and towers on a black base in a workshop or studio setting.
A tall, triangular sculpture made of rough, textured brown material on one side and smooth, painted surface with a white paw print, with a small, abstract humanoid figure made of the same brown material, reaching up toward the sculpture against a dark background.