Functional pots appeal to me because of their purpose to connect the user with the food or drink they are consuming. Growing up, my family had dinners together every night, which brought us together around food. Functional pots have become an important aspect of my life, not only because of how I get my sustenance each day, but also because they connect me with people. Sharing a meal or coffee with someone is carried out using a functional object. I realized the importance of these handmade functional objects when I began making ceramic vessels. Making functional work is important because I believe these handmade functional objects enhance the reception of food. Indeed, they offer us more than food, they provide sustenance to our lives. I want my pots to be used around the “everyday” table where people come together. I am making pots to enhance daily life.

 

Formally, I am still investigating the rhythm of line in my work. My forms are fired in a soda kiln which allows the facets and lines to be accentuated. I am joining form and firing to create surface. The firing process provides a surface that draws the user to pick up my pots and interact with them. This creates an intimate moment when they are able to not only see the lines but to consider and feel the horizontal rhythm of the facets.

 

With the industrial revolution in the 1800s, through mass production, functional factory produced objects have been made readily available to us. This has been a gift in many ways, but these objects come with the human touch, the presence of the hand, and lack humanity. We have the gift of affordability, but in many cases, each meal, we are robbed of art and craft. I am seeing the act of making a functional handmade object as an act of resistance behind my work.