Full Moon | Sergei Isupov, 2004 Porcelain, 22" x 11" x 5.5"

Making art, for Sergei Isupov, is a lifestyle rather than a profession. "Everything that surrounds and excites me is automatically processed and transformed into the final result: an artwork," he says. "It is fascinating to watch the transitions from life to art. The essence of my work is not in the medium or the creative process, but in the human beings and their incredible diversity. When I think of myself and my works, I'm not sure I create them, perhaps they create me."

Treating ceramic sculpture as a "canvas" for his "paintings," Isupov uses plastic, graphic, and painting elements to complement each other in a given piece, and mixes classical forms with comical elements. "I like the contrast of serious to humorous," he says. "The front is cartoon-like, but the back of each figure features an intimate painting of the being's spirit."

Full Moon is one of Isupov's recent standing ceramic sculptures, featuring a neutral, vaguely rendered male figure whose back opens to reveal a serene Madonna-like female face, and through whose chest burst two leaping nude women; Isupov's work often explores male and female relationships. Although Isupov admits to including autobiographical elements in all of his work, he refuses to define his work according to a single narrative, leaving it open to viewers' individual perspectives.

Isupov emigrated from Estonia in 1994 and recently relocated to Cummington, Massachusetts. Although he remains relatively unknown in the US, he has a longstanding following in Northern Europe and the Baltics. Isupov's work will be featured in the group show "Portraiture: Patron-Artist-Subject" at Ferrin Gallery, 69 Church Street, Lenox, Massachusetts, through August 7. An artists' reception will be held on Saturday, July 9, 4-6pm. (413) 637-4414; www.ferringallery.com.