Last month, the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, opened Handle with Care, a fantastic exhibition that revolves around the hand and gestures โ expressions of intimacy, compassion, serenity, authority, labor and celebration. We talked to curator Dr. Wendy Gers to learn more about the complexities of organizing such an awe-inspiring show. First, I want to congratulate...
Read moreBy Lilianne Milgrom Irit Ovadia Rosenberg would be the first to tell you that she never imagined establishing a ceramic practice amongst the towering pines of New York Stateโs Catskills mountains, far from the madding crowd of her native New York City. Nestled between the conifers and surrounded by wild fern, her studio barn and cottage gallery provide a serene...
Read moreMary Fox is a self-taught exploratory potter who has been working with clay since she was thirteen years old and as a professional potter for over forty years. Her innovative and inspired creations have garnered national and international acclaim. Fox creates contemporary pieces based on classic lines that express the beauty and strength of pure form. With inspired original glazes...
Read moreThis last summer we opened our first weekly newsletter announcing that applications are open for this year's Officine Saffi Award. Over 2000 of you clicked to read more about the award, so we decided to interview Laura Borghi, the founder of Officine Saffi, so we can learn more about their activities. Also, we remind you that applications to Officine Saffi...
Read moreSundaymorning@ekwc is an international artist-in-residence and center-of-excellence for ceramics based in an old factory in Oisterwijk, The Netherlands. For over 50 years, artists, designers, and architects from all over the world have worked here to experiment with clay. Their mission is to further develop the ceramic material and to promote its application in art, design, and architecture. A couple of...
Read moreClay, readymades, glass, glaze and dust are all mixed to form your sculptures. Why do you combine these materials and how do you select them? I build sculptures of hard objects, readymades that are given to me by friends or bought at flea markets. My interest lies within the mass produced, and highly consumed items, where the aesthetic expression is...
Read moreIt can be said about your work that it embraces significant change every three to four years. Where do you find the resources and ideas to create works similar in style, yet very different and exciting for the viewer? I change with the passing of time, and because I change, my works must change as well. As the works are...
Read moreYou find something particularly human in porcelain: โit can suggest the weight of corporality as effective as it captures the translucence of spiritual experienceโ. When and how did you discover its capabilities? Early in graduate school when I began experimenting with sculptural work, I was initially drawn to porcelain for its smooth elasticity that I hadnโt experienced in the stoneware...
Read moreYou spent a great deal of time immersed in the Canadian wilderness, which has been a major influence in your work. How did the natural environment shape your identity and consequently your practice? Initially, I had no idea that my time spent in the wilderness was going to impact my creative process. My first three years in undergraduate school were...
Read moreAs a Danish ceramic artist, do you consider the living climate an important influence in your work? I think itโs fair to say that my works have a certain Nordic nature component. Danish nature is not wild and magnificent โ more one that offers quiet experiences: a misty morning over the ploughed fields; an old, dead tree; rainy weather that...
Read moreWhy did you choose the vessel as the central element of your art? Was there a transition from functional vessels to sculptural ones? I have been working in ceramics continually since 1980. There have been periods when I have moved away from the vessel, but really it has been at the core of my work for most of the time...
Read moreWhat sparked your interest for ceramics?I was in college taking painting classes, and I wanted to learn sculpture. One day I stopped by the sculpture lab to ask the instructor if I could audit the class. She agreed and handed me a piece of clay. I was amazed at the work of the students. A retired engineer was making intriguing...
Read moreThe objects you create realistically mimic the texture and look of wood stumps, roots and branches. What is your connection with this natural element, and why did you choose to investigate it in ceramics?Human emergence is the overarching theme of my sculptural work; as metaphors for that I use the aging tree as well as the natural land features of...
Read moreAs a contemporary artist with extensive knowledge in the field of ceramics, can you share with us a significant experience for your career?There is no doubt that growing up in a family of artists had a major influence on my life and artistic career. The chance to develop myself in an artistic environment, to be in contact with different genres...
Read moreYour body of work consists in reinterpretations in stoneware and porcelain of everyday objects. What sparked your interest for ceramics? Firstly, an attraction toward the household objects led me to ceramic. I am deeply fascinated by clay and the gesture of the hand cupping the bowl.Beyond the objects, my interest for this art was aroused by a strong link with...
Read moreYou are a young ceramist who had started her artistic endeavor early on, during college. How did you discover the passion for ceramics?I guess it was while working. From one work to another you get new ideas; you get excited, you make things. I remember that at the beginning, in high school, I was fascinated to discover how a crude...
Read moreHow did you discover the passion for ceramics?By accident! When I was in high school, I studied painting, and I believed that nothing could rise to its value; that painting is part of my soul and the only way of expression for me as an artist. But this had changed when in university I have met ceramics, felt in loved...
Read moreHow did your experience in working on archeological sites in Jordan and Ethiopia influenced your work? My work in Jordan and Ethiopia profoundly changed my work. I went to Jordan between my undergraduate degree and my graduate degree. At that point, I was already serious about clay, and although my early training had a functional emphasis (the well known American...
Read moreYou take your inspiration from nature. You are not just making a superficial observation, but you conduct a research on the things hidden to the naked eye. Tell us more about the universe you have discovered through your explorations.I am fascinated by the natural world in its widest sense and at all levels. An interest in the nature of time...
Read moreIn 1975 you graduated Ceramics at the Nicolae Grigorescu Arts Institute in Bucharest. You have been active in this domain for over 35 years, all marked by a large number of exhibitions, as well as participations to international symposiums. How was this passion for ceramics born? Have you had any masters that marked your career?In the Music & Fine Arts...
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ยฉ 2010-2023 Ceramics Now - Inspiring the next generation of ceramic artists.
ยฉ 2010-2023 Ceramics Now - Inspiring the next generation of ceramic artists.