The Pilgrim, 2004, clay sculpture by Jenny Anderson. Collection of Bainbridge Public Library.

"Animal figures to me represent our connection with nature, our instinctual side. They represent being in tune with the natural world. We commonly assume that humans are a higher form of life than animals; I prefer to represent animals as having a more ancient wisdom. In a way, the figures express transformation from this world into other realms. For me this transformation is more easily expressed by connecting the human and animal forms.

“Pilgrim belongs to the part of my work that deals with travel and transformation, similar to my bird-shaped cups; the vessel as a vehicle for traveling to a different state of mind or being.”

Jenny Anderson, photo by Joel Sackett