Una Kirkpatrick brings her background as a biologist to her ceramic practice, creating sculptural explorations of organic forms and natural rhythms. After studying biochemistry at the University of Houston, she stepped away from the laboratory to raise her family. Still, her fascination with the symmetrical, spiraling, and tessellated structures in nature persisted.

After taking ceramic courses at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Glassell School of Art,  Kirkpatrick discovered that clay was the perfect medium to combine her scientific knowledge with artistic expression. In Flow (2023), she uses rich obsidian clay–a dark, fired ceramic–to express the dynamic movement and fluidity she observes throughout nature. Her organic sculptures echo the visual language of clustered and layered forms shared across ecosystems, taking shape as abstract forms reminiscent of coral formations, mushroom clusters, or intricate honeycomb cells. Kirkpatrick shares, “There is an elegance to biological design that no human intervention can rival.” Through clay, she engages with biology in a new way, reconnecting with the natural world that first captured her interest.