One of the greatest loves of Kelly's life is working with clay, and for over 17 years, she has poured her heart and soul into her work.  Through the years Kelly’s work has evolved into whimsical figurative sculptures. 

Kelly is currently teaching ceramics at Mira Costa College in Cardiff, California. She also enjoys working with another of her greatest loves, her husband Trent Berning, at their studio and Gallery Berning Clay Gallery in Fallbrook, California.  

Artist Statement 

The repository of memories is the root of my ceramic work.  Sometimes psychological activity conjured by fear and loss can take precedence in everyday life.  Although the source of this fear or loss may disappear physically, the anxiety still lingers and starts to be controlled by the unconscious. This progression from a physical threat to a mental maelstrom of trying to regain a lost sense of balance stems a yearning for childhood innocence.  I use clay as a means to transport ideas from the inside of my mind into the outer world.  I find great interest in the dynamic interactions of the unconscious and conscious forces in the mental life of a person. 

My ceramic figurative sculptures draw the inner child within us with its use of bright colors and its whimsical nature.  Though after close examination, ones’ innocence is hindered and drawn into the world of adult emotions.  I often wonder what life could be like if humans could camouflage like certain insects and mammals do in order to avoid predators or to just disappear.  Though humans can’t do this literally, they still find a way to hide mentally.

I am curious by the carneys lifestyle.  The idea of blending in, or becoming somebody else for a night intrigues me.  Then off to a new town with a new audience who has never seen you before and will never see you again.   Who is the person behind the mask?  Do people join the circus to escape from everyday life and avoid the world of adult emotions? This body of work explores how we mask our emotions, and what happens with or unconscious mind when we do this.  Symbols such as pigs, butterflies, and frogs often provoked from my dreams, are used in my work as metaphors often relating to the intangible. 

My prominent influence is Surrealism, in particular the work of painter Remedios Varo.  Her blending of dissimilar elements and acknowledgement of the mind as an interior landscape fascinates me.