NEWS

Cheetah

By A Mystery Man Writer

12.5h x 6w x 13d, mid fire clay, glaze Artist bio:Katrina Roeckelein (Trinka) is an award-winning artist working primarily in clay. She is a nativeWashingtonian and earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University and then her MFA indesign from George Washington University, prior to a career as a real estate agent and graphicdesigner. She hopes her animal sculptures will elicit smiles and inspire respect for animals andthe environments needed to sustain them.Hippos, elephants, giraffes, donkeys, a bright orange flipper and even a Frog Prince are examplesof the whimsical indoor/outdoor sculptures Trinka creates out of clay. Growing up in WashingtonDC, she has witnessed the transformation of DC from a sleepy, small town into a bustling,heavily trafficked city with wildlife and people often sharing the same spaces. Her interest inconservation deepened while on many safari trips to Botswana. She is captivated by the wildanimals … their shapes, sizes, movements, sounds … and the variety and vastness of the Africanbush. Her custom art reflects elements from both locations and the complex coexistence ofurbanity and nature.Trinka works in clay to create custom art for home decor. She uses clay as her artistic mediumbecause of the way it feels, its tireless unpredictability and technical challenges, and the endlessvariety of surface treatments. She fires each piece multiple times to build layers of oxide, glaze,underglaze, or luster. Every piece is unique, which underlines clay’s basic connection to the earthand complements the intrinsic one-of-a-kindness in nature. Her aim is to appeal to both youngand old viewers through the playful quirkiness inherent in her sculptures.