Gyres Sculpture

Touch, in my opinion, is the most underrated and undervalued of the senses. It has the power - to Heal, to Soothe, to Hurt, to Love, to Create. The way a lover's skin feels during a passionate moment. The way mud feels squishing through my toes. The way porcelain slides through my hands and fingers as I unawaredely manipulate it in the way my mind wants. This is how I create. I create through a stream of consciousness and I find it very freeing because my hands just create whatever the brain is directly telling them to do. There's no pre-planning so it frees the mind from responsibility, allowing the mind to revel and enjoy the beauty of the moment. As I am eternally fascinated by the purity of form and fluidity within the seas' depths, my hands "massage" sculptures into being inspired by the creatures and oceanic movements found within. Squishing clay through my fingers... The sensuality of it is like nothing else and that is why I choose to use no other tools, apart from my hands, when I sculpt. About Sylvie - Sylvie Pool Alvarez’s artistic journey began during her childhood in the Seychelles Islands in her grandmother’s pottery studio. She spent countless hours there—watching, touching clay, experimenting freely, and absorbing the tactile, intuitive way her grandmother approached creativity. Those early experiences shaped the foundation of her sculptural language: hands first, instincts forward, and an openness to exploration without rigid boundaries. Her creative journey evolved through many three-dimensional media after she moved to the United States, including wax sculpture, stone carving, glass mosaics, wirework, beading, and polymer clay. She later spent almost fifteen years in Guam, where she taught art, completed her Master of Arts in Art at the University of Guam, and later served as an adjunct professor in sculpture and ceramics. Guam’s shorelines and natural environments had a lasting influence on her biomorphic language. Currently based in Los Angeles, Sylvie is known for her biomorphic ceramic sculptures—sensual, fluid forms inspired by sea life, natural rhythms, and the organic movement of wind and water. She typically works with her bare hands, letting touch guide the emergence of each gesture and curve. Her pieces echo her childhood memories of ocean currents, island textures, and the subtle choreography of natural forces.