Elaina Wendt Michalski

“Between Earth and Sky” is now installed in beautiful Antioch Park as part of Johnson County Parks & Recreation Districts’s Art and Natural Resources Residency Program. It will be on display from July 15-December 31, 2025.

stoneware, underglaze, glaze, birch bark

dimensions variable, figure size 60”h

available - contact for price

The project was featured in KC’s PBS Flatland:

https://flatlandkc.org/racial-justice/aaron-sqaudroni-wendt-michalski-trail-of-death/

Artist Statement:

In many cultures the tree has been revered as a universal symbol for life and a metaphor for families. As an artist I have a deep reverence for Nature and have always admired the beauty of trees. Through this residency, I have been fortunate to shadow JCPRD’s extended team that works directly with trees and forests in our area. I have learned that trees thrive in healthy communities as humans do. The interconnectedness of Nature inspired my project.

My intention is to express the experience of standing in a forest surrounded by trees. Trees are the largest life forms we encounter, and they surround us. Research has suggested that by simply looking at a tree, humans can experience reduced stress levels and a sense of peace. A healthy tree canopy provides shelter, shade, and cool air. In addition to filtering the air we breathe trees slow the flow of rain as it falls from the sky, creating a slow-drip irrigation even in a storm. Intricate networks of tree roots also filter the groundwater before it enters our waterways. Trees play an essential role in purifying the air and water in which all life forms are dependent.

After creating the form and tiles using stoneware clay, I added texture and colored underglazes on the surface. A celadon glaze was applied on the leaves and water elements and the pieces were fired to 2232°F. Once firing was completed, I collected natural birch bark and applied it to the surface of the figure’s dress.

Thank you to Johnson County Parks & Recreation District for their support for this project!

Life-like portraits of two children ages 5 and 8. Ceramic with underglaze and gold luster. 12"h

not for sale

Feel free to contact me for portrait commissions.

In summer 2024 I was awarded a six-week residency at Eureka Springs School of the Arts in Arkansas. I created a unique form, made a plaster form, and then created porcelain and red earthenware castings from the forms. This new series is inspired by Mother Nature and the abundance of beauty and creativity found throughout the natural world.

Figures are 15.5” x 4” x 4”

In 2022 I was fortunate to stay for five weeks at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét, Hungary with a group of artists and students. We learned to create a vertical form on the plaster lathe based on our own design, followed by a plaster crack mold from the form. The plaster mold was then used to slip-cast a glass like, bright white cone 15 porcelain the studio acquired from the Herend Porcelain Manufactory.

The "Mother Nature Figurines" I created using from a small plaster mold I brought with me.

Inspiration for these pieces came from Mother Nature and the natural beauty of the Hungarian landscape.

This piece was one of nine sculptures featured in the 31st Annual Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition in Lawrence, KS, and was installed in front of the Lawrence Public Library from June 2019-April 2020.

https://lawrenceks.org/odse/

"Pearl" is a life-size ceramic sculpture of a girl lying down, based on a homeless youth. The sculpture has soft, iridescent surface colors that reflect both concrete and precious stone, and appears simultaneously present and overlooked, vulnerable and precious.

It is estimated that each night in the greater Kansas City area, there may be more than 2,000 unaccompanied youth who are living without a safe, permanent home – and without the maturity, skills, or resources of an adult. Some may have run away or were forced out of their home; some may have exited foster care or the juvenile justice system. Some may have crossed the Southern U.S. Border alone or were separated from their parents while seeking asylum, in the hope of finding a better life here. Unaccompanied youth can be hard to recognize because they blend in with others and often do not want to stand out.

Contrary to popular belief, teenagers need and want meaningful, healthy relationships with adults to protect and guide them across the bridge into adulthood. This widespread problem for youth is layered and complex, so each adult ought to ask the question, “What can I do?”

***IF YOU ARE A YOUTH NEEDING HELP, text SAFE and your location to 4HELP (44357). You can also look for the SAFE PLACE® sign or call 1-800-RUNAWAY***

Exit included two life-size figure sculptures based on homeless youth. Made of unfired clay and left alone in downtown Kansas City winter for two weeks, these figures were extremely vulnerable to harsh weather conditions and public interaction, similar to what a real person would be exposed to in such circumstances.

Special thanks to the Charlotte Street Foundation and the Downtown Council for their support for this project.

This project was intended for a three month display, beginning in August 2017, in Independence Plaza Park, Kansas City, MO. The piece is made from terracotta clay, paint, and fabric and inspired by the inspiring essence of women and the natural world. The physical and symbolic power of Mother Nature is unmatched and exists within each of us. Clay is found in a variety of colors and places around the world, symbolizing the beauty of human diversity. 

Many viewers thought the sculpture was a real woman praying or meditating in the park. Unfortunately, the piece was damaged several days after installation, drawing attention to widespread violence against women. After several days of repair, she became like new again and moved to Scuola Vita Nuova School, a protected space on fenced grounds with lights and security cameras. Moving her to this location is symbolic of what needs to happen with real, vulnerable females until they are safe everywhere.

Available - contact for price

In the Image and Likeness

For this series I handbuilt three figures inspired by elements in nature using terra cotta clay. After creating the forms and carving detail, I pressed various textured fabrics and lace into the clay for embellishment. They are glazed with matte underglaze and gold leaf.

23”h

Mother and Child series is based on ideas of motherhood and caring for children regardless of birth relation or racial heritage. I made originals and cast in various clays. The beauty of the red, dark brown, and cream colored clays mirror the beauty in human diversity. Hands are modular and interchangeable, respecting differences in families.

Materials: Various fired clays with underglaze. Figures are 22"h and 12"h. Hands are life-size. 

Veil series includes Divine Feminine imagery based on found objects and traditional religious wall hangings. I created new originals and altered each one to have more naturalistic features.

Fired porcelain with underglaze, gold liquid leaf, and found objects. 

wall hangings are 15”h

Several available variations - contact for price

Being and Becoming was an exhibition of life-size wet and fired clay figures, found objects, and a video projection. The series of sculptures focused on early moments in childhood and the vulnerable and malleable nature of human life. This work also investigated the place of children in society, and what it means to grow and transform. 

dimensions variable

Unfired terra cotta, found object, and video projection, 2003.

Figure is life-size. Recycled.