“My ceramics practice has moved me into an obsession with primordial life, “Richardson said. She has worked with clay since high school, when she was growing up in the beautiful countryside near London. Her love of the outdoors shows in her unusual and fanciful sculptures. “As technology is more stressed and pressured, I don’t feel so overwhelmed when I’m out in nature,” she said.

“Typically, that era of painting was championed by male artists, so I loved the idea that this soft pliable object, which was precious but made to be used and accumulate wear, had the same impact on me as hard-edged geometric images,” Tyler said.

Eclecticism defines her practice. Moving fluidly between media and styles, Cermak’s work ranges from traditional realism to Art Deco and Cubist influences, though the strongest creative pull lies in contemporary and abstract art. That’s where freedom lives—freedom to experiment, to bend rules while still honoring balance, color harmony, contrast, and texture. Repetition has never been appealing; switching styles keeps the process alive. “I get bored if I paint only in one sty