Simple pottery, like cups, are made to hold and serve nourishment. Do consciously made pots carry some ineffable ability to transform and heal? What may be embedded in the stone of fired clay by the alchemical bond between material, process, and person. What is conveyed through use or enjoyment? I’m intending a reality where compassion arises in the heart when hand embraces handle.
Lately, with making candelabra, menorahs, candlesticks, I’ve become consumed with creating vehicles to spread light in our world.
“When a hand embraces a handle, compassion arises in the heart.”
“The sensual, tactile quality of clay is vital, and I want my pieces to feel as good to touch as they are useful and good looking”
I work with porcelain clay, mostly on the potter's wheel, softly altered when freshly thrown, glazed when leather-hard, and fired to cone 10 in a soda kiln. I seek for fire and kiln atmosphere to decorate my pots ; I create surfaces and forms to be touched by flame. The sensual, tactile quality of clay is vital, and I want my pieces to feel as good to touch as they are useful and good looking. The pots look alive, a bit whimsical, and they’re intended to bring life, beauty, and years of enjoyment into the lives of those who use them.
You can always find my work in my rustic barn showroom.
Reach out ahead of your visit: ggs@gertrudegrahamsmith.com