Hayes Dobbins

As an artist originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Hayes Dobbins works out of a community studio with the Kentuck Red Dog Potters. Dobbins studied art at the University of Montevallo and earned a BFA concentrating in ceramic sculpture. Her work is inspired by walks in the woods where she envisions figures emerging from the trees. The figures appear as vines, branches, and tree textures mingling with her dresses, expressing a human relationship with nature. Dobbins mixed media winged figures are emerging and metamorphosing from elements of trees, spreading their wings and taking flight. Her sculptures are mostly self-portraits representing the struggles and triumphs over our human condition. She uses wild, naturally occurring clay that is harvested from the creek and riverbanks. Processing the clay makes her feel grounded and more closely connected to mother earth. Her process uses the five elements: earth, fire, water, air, and spirit.