Ellen G Horovitz
Website
Social Media
Artist Statement
I have been working in clay since age 6, but my career took a turn when I left the Rhode Island School of Design's master's program and transferred to NYU for Art Therapy. I still practice (clinically) as an art therapist but my main love is ceramics, which hail from my quirky sketches. My work has been in galleries in LA, the Finger Lakes area in New York, and New York City. I make what I like but occasionally take commissions.
Studio Description
I am lucky to have lots of space, but I work mainly in my unfinished basement when working in clay.
What type of clay do you use?
Tucker clay and Laguna clays are my favorites.
What temperature do you fire to?
Mostly Cone 6
What is your primary forming method?
Slab construction and combined wheel-thrown pieces.
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Primarily, my handmade, silkscreen applications
Do you make any of your own tools?
Sometimes I make bisque-fired tools that I cannot find.
What one word would you use to describe your work?
Dinosaur-love.
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
The window that looks out onto the landscape around my home
What are your top three studio wishes?
A smaller test kiln, a glass kiln, and someone to wedge my clay!
What’s on your current reading list?
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
How do you recharge creatively?
I workout, A LOT. I am a confessed swim-aholic, practice yoga daily (I am a yoga therapist) and take LOTS of walks in the woods.
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
I only buy what I need.
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
Clean up in between projects. Order out of chaos is my motto but starting fresh al-ways spurs me on.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
Feeling good enough, not comparing myself to Instagram reels or social-media drains.
What did your first piece look like?
It was a pig that I created (age 6) when I first held clay. I fell in love with the medium and was able to sculpt whatever I imagined in my head.
What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
More strength to wedge clay (it is laborious although somewhat meditative) and fire breath to evenly dry my pieces for bisque firing.
What area of skill do you most look to other artists to learn?
Differences! Attending workshops given by other artists to stretch my thinking, sometimes it can be wood, metal, painting, not just clay.
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
Toshiko Takaezu. At age 16, I won a scholarship to Skidmore College and worked under the great Regis Brodie. He brought in Tashiko and she loved my work and said, "You should go on." I often wonder what trajectory my life would have taken if I had followed her edict. Alas, I became an art therapist but never turned away from clay.
What is on your studio playlist?
Erin & Ross, an unknown amazing jazz group that spun out of Eastman School of Music.
Why do you create art?
Because I can. I cannot imagine a world without art.
Who is your favorite artist and what do you admire about that artist?
Josef Albers. I love his simple yet beautiful homages to the square.
What is your best studio tip?
Just do it for yourself; truly, that is what really matters.
If you could change one property of clay, what would it be?
To instantly dry and NEVER crack.
Click the images to enlarge them. Click the Esc key to close.