A new sculptural series emerging from a Greenwich Village studio is drawing attention in the contemporary art world for its exploration of spiritual realms through the ancient medium of clay. The “Army of Beings,” created by contemporary ceramicist Ellen Colcord, represents a significant evolution in the artist’s ongoing investigation of the intersection between the physical and the ineffable.
The series consists of mystical, otherworldly figures that appear simultaneously ancient and contemporary, each carrying what the artist describes as deep emotional weight and symbolic resonance. These sculptures emerge through what Colcord characterizes as a process of “spontaneous meditation,” a practice that prioritizes intuition over analytical thinking.
Colcord’s approach to her craft is rooted in years of intensive study of the human form, yet her technique deliberately favors rapid execution over careful planning. This methodology allows her to capture what she views as an inner consciousness that transcends mere physical representation. The choice of clay as her primary medium proves essential to this practice, as the material uniquely preserves the “memory of touch” and documents fleeting moments with unvarnished authenticity.
The figures that comprise the “Army of Beings” arrive in Colcord’s studio as what she describes as “visitors”—entities that she follows as much as creates. This relationship between artist and work suggests a collaborative process between maker and material, between conscious intention and subconscious revelation. By drawing upon iconic imagery from religious art, mythology, and the natural world, Colcord constructs what might be understood as a visual bridge connecting timeless spiritual traditions with immediate contemporary experience.
The artist’s path to this current body of work was far from conventional. In 1988, Colcord made what she characterizes as a significant “U-turn,” leaving behind a successful position at a New York City design firm to pursue fine art. This decision set in motion a journey that would take her across continents and through multiple academic disciplines in search of a deeper understanding of art’s spiritual dimensions.
Her quest led her to Siena, Italy, where she became absorbed in studying the work of 13th-century master Duccio di Buoninsegna, particularly what she identified as the spiritual “golden sphere” present in his paintings. This Italian sojourn marked the beginning of a sustained inquiry into the relationship between artistic practice and spiritual expression, a theme that would define her subsequent academic and creative pursuits.
Colcord’s educational trajectory reflects this dual commitment to both technical mastery and spiritual inquiry. She pursued a Master’s degree in Art and Religion at Yale University Divinity School, an unusual but revealing choice that positioned her work at the intersection of theological thought and artistic practice. She later completed a Master’s in Studio Art at New York University, grounding her conceptual interests in rigorous technical training. Her studies also included time at the Academia di Belle Arte in Urbino, Italy, further deepening her connection to European artistic traditions.
The “Army of Beings” represents a culmination of these diverse influences and experiences. The series offers what might be described as a meditative dialogue on the unseen forces that shape human consciousness and spiritual life. Each figure serves as a physical manifestation of intangible realities, making visible what typically remains beyond the reach of ordinary perception.
Working from her Greenwich Village studio, Ellen Colcord continues to develop this evolving series, allowing each new figure to emerge according to its own internal logic. The “Army of Beings” grows not through predetermined planning but through the artist’s willingness to follow where the work leads, maintaining an openness to the unexpected revelations that arise during the creative process.
Colcord’s broader artistic practice extends beyond sculpture to encompass collage, film, and books, demonstrating a multi-media approach that mirrors the interdisciplinary nature of her academic background. Yet it is in clay that she has found perhaps her most direct means of expression, a material that records the immediate gesture while simultaneously carrying associations with human civilization’s oldest artistic impulses.
The New York-based artist’s latest work arrives at a moment when contemporary art increasingly grapples with questions of meaning, spirituality, and the limits of material expression. The “Army of Beings” contributes to this ongoing conversation by offering figures that resist easy interpretation while inviting sustained contemplation, sculptures that function as portals to what Colcord describes as the heavenly dimensions of existence.
As the series continues to evolve, each new figure adds to an accumulating visual vocabulary of forms that speak to experiences beyond the reach of language. Through clay’s capacity to hold memory and through her commitment to immediate, intuitive creation, Colcord constructs a body of work that addresses fundamental questions about the relationship between matter and spirit, between the seen and the unseen, between the ancient impulse toward the sacred and its expression in contemporary artistic practice.
