In an effort to be economical and sustainable in the face of an upcoming move, I have become compulsive in checking Facebook Marketplace, estate sales, and thrift shops for pieces that might suit my family’s home and life. I look for furniture and objects that are special—evidently high quality, with a quirk or two in their design or craft, or blemishes and character built up over years of use. I look for objects that come with a bit of a story. My experience as an artist informs my appreciation for secondhand treasures, as I see potential and value in things that might be unassuming and take an extra moment to assess an object’s uniqueness. This desire for connection and lore is similar to the genre of handmade ceramic objects that skillfully embody, allude to, or transport us as viewers into a narrative or human experience. This issue of Ceramics Monthly is focused on figurative and narrative ceramics, and the many ways in which artists use clay to make works created for storytelling.
Michelle Solorzano, whose figurative sculpture is featured on this issue’s cover, intertwines Taíno symbolism with personal narratives to explore themes around cultural identity. Solorzano presents how she constructs, decorates, and finishes these vibrant pieces.
Sharing her career’s progression firsthand, Rashi Jain describes the opportunities she has had and created as a working ceramic artist in Mumbai, India. In the studio, vessels sculpted with iconic imagery, like goddesses and snakes, serve as a means of meditating and connecting inner and outer worlds.
Glen R. Brown offers a discussion on new work by David East. East pulls from the excessive architecture and decor shown on the glossy pages of a high-end interiors magazine to create collages. In clay, he handbuilds large-scale forms that recall arches and other architectural foundations in finished pieces that allow the viewer to become a temporary, tentative inhabitant.
Working outside the bounds of a traditional studio, Marianne Chénard converges striking images from extreme natural environments with time-based installations of ceramic materials. Author Dylanna Fisher discusses the goals and impacts of these projects, particularly our role and responsibility in caring for the natural world.
In this issue’s Spotlight, we’ve asked Ian M. Petrie to explain why vessels are his substrate of choice for showcasing panels of drawn comics. The effect is a body of work that offers a chance at reflection and interpretation with each use.
Andrew Buck, EdD, describes the historical and continued success of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, operated by the Tileworks of Bucks County, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The tiles and mosaics produced by this pottery reflect vignettes of daily life, tales, and more.
Just as we finalized this issue, Hurricane Helene tore through the southeastern US, especially parts of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Western North Carolina. This mountainous region holds deep, historical significance for pottery and craft traditions, and continues to be home to numerous ceramic artists, galleries, and businesses today. My heart and thoughts are with those of our community who will be dealing with the devastating effects of the storm and flooding for the foreseeable future.
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In an effort to be economical and sustainable in the face of an upcoming move, I have become compulsive in checking Facebook Marketplace, estate sales, and thrift shops for pieces that might suit my family’s home and life. I look for furniture and objects that are special—evidently high quality, with a quirk or two in their design or craft, or blemishes and character built up over years of use. I look for objects that come with a bit of a story. My experience as an artist informs my appreciation for secondhand treasures, as I see potential and value in things that might be unassuming and take an extra moment to assess an object’s uniqueness. This desire for connection and lore is similar to the genre of handmade ceramic objects that skillfully embody, allude to, or transport us as viewers into a narrative or human experience. This issue of Ceramics Monthly is focused on figurative and narrative ceramics, and the many ways in which artists use clay to make works created for storytelling.
Michelle Solorzano, whose figurative sculpture is featured on this issue’s cover, intertwines Taíno symbolism with personal narratives to explore themes around cultural identity. Solorzano presents how she constructs, decorates, and finishes these vibrant pieces.
Sharing her career’s progression firsthand, Rashi Jain describes the opportunities she has had and created as a working ceramic artist in Mumbai, India. In the studio, vessels sculpted with iconic imagery, like goddesses and snakes, serve as a means of meditating and connecting inner and outer worlds.
Glen R. Brown offers a discussion on new work by David East. East pulls from the excessive architecture and decor shown on the glossy pages of a high-end interiors magazine to create collages. In clay, he handbuilds large-scale forms that recall arches and other architectural foundations in finished pieces that allow the viewer to become a temporary, tentative inhabitant.
Working outside the bounds of a traditional studio, Marianne Chénard converges striking images from extreme natural environments with time-based installations of ceramic materials. Author Dylanna Fisher discusses the goals and impacts of these projects, particularly our role and responsibility in caring for the natural world.
In this issue’s Spotlight, we’ve asked Ian M. Petrie to explain why vessels are his substrate of choice for showcasing panels of drawn comics. The effect is a body of work that offers a chance at reflection and interpretation with each use.
Andrew Buck, EdD, describes the historical and continued success of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, operated by the Tileworks of Bucks County, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The tiles and mosaics produced by this pottery reflect vignettes of daily life, tales, and more.
Just as we finalized this issue, Hurricane Helene tore through the southeastern US, especially parts of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Western North Carolina. This mountainous region holds deep, historical significance for pottery and craft traditions, and continues to be home to numerous ceramic artists, galleries, and businesses today. My heart and thoughts are with those of our community who will be dealing with the devastating effects of the storm and flooding for the foreseeable future.
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