Adrian Arleo is a ceramic sculptor living in Montana who focuses her work on combining human and animal imagery. For nearly 30 years, she has explored revealing something hidden about human nature or the relationship between humans and animals. Michael Alfano sculpts portraits in clay that are then cast in bronze. He skillfully captures not only the likeness but also the presence of individuals. His portraits have won numerous awards in juried shows. Beth Cavener Stichter is a sculptor based in Washington who addresses controversial topics through veiled anthropomorphism in her animal sculptures. She explores human psychology and the consequences of fear, aggression and misunderstanding through stripped-down animal forms. Philip

1. Adian Arleo
Adrian Arleo is a ceramic sculptor living outside Missoula, Montana. She studied Art and
Anthropology at Pitzer College (B.A. 1983) and received her M.F.A. in ceramics from Rhode Island
School of Design in 1986. Arleo was an Artist in Residence at Oregon College of Art and Craft in 1986-
87, and at Sitka Center For Art and Ecology in 1987-88. For nearly thirty years, Arleo has focused her
work on the human figure, often combining it with animal imagery, and other elements of the
natural world. Some works allude to a relationship of understanding or connection between the
human and animal realms. In others, human figures possess animal features in a way that reveals
something hidden about the character or primal nature of the human.

3. Michael Alfano
Following traditional methods, Michael sculpts in clay and brings a portrait to life. The finished work
is beautifully rendered in bronze, capturing not only the likeness, but also the presence of the
individual.
Recognized for these qualities, Michael's portraits have been accepted into many juried shows,
earning numerous awards. He has completed sculpture commissions for esteemed leaders in
business, sports, government, and the community in many countries, as well as portraits of loved
ones for family members.

5. Beth Cavener Stichter
Beth Cavener Stichter is full-time professional studio artist residing in the U.S. state of Washington.
"Born in Pasadena, California, Stichter recently relocated to Washington, where she has built a
permanent studio."
Stichter addresses controversial, potentially embarrassing subject matter head on and in direct
opposition to the reputation of her chosen medium, clay. "The artist forms animals by hollowing out
blocks of clay, giving her subjects a raw, unrefined appearance as if they sprang from the material
itself". Stichter focuses her sculpture on human psychology, stripped of context and rationalization,
and articulated through animal forms. "This use of veiled anthropomorphism began in 2002." “On
the surface,” says Stichter, “these figures are simply feral animals suspended in a moment of
tension. Beneath the surface, they embody the consequences of human fear, apathy, aggression,
and misunderstanding”. When creating her sculptures of animals, Stichter stated "...I borrowed the
perceived purity and moral innocence of the animal image and imbued it with human complexity".

7. Philippe Faraut
Philippe Faraut is a figurative artist specializing in life-size portrait sculptures and monumental stone
sculptures. His media of choice are water-based clay and marble.
From his extensive research of the human face he developed a technique of modeling the portrait
that he shares with his sculpting students during his numerous sculpting classes and seminars taught
throughout the US.