Lady and the Asteroid
Leila Mirza
Major: Undeclared
Genre/Medium: Stoneware Clay, Mid-Fire Glaze, Acrylic Paint
About the work: In crafting “Lady in the Asteroid,” I wanted to dive deep into the realms of Greek mythology and astronomy, channeling the timeless narratives of Psyche and the celestial dance of the (16) Psyche asteroid. Using black stoneware clay as my canvas, I sculpted a delicate classic Greek amphora–a traditional urn shape with two handles. I incorporated a mid-fire speckled glaze, and then layered black and gold acrylic paints in geometric, mandala-like patterns. I depicted an abstract goddess Psyche raising her hands to the cosmos, and the asteroid itself.
To me, Psyche is a symbol of the soul’s journey through the vastness of space and the depths of the human psyche. As I grew up adoring Greek mythology, I was set on creating a piece that fused my love for the cosmos as well as mythology itself.