Artist : Michele Michael of Elephant Ceramics

Short story: a stylist is on the hunt for nice ceramics. She doesn't find what she's looking for so she sets about making them herself. Enter Michele Michael and the birth of Elephant Ceramics.

I have yet to come across anything like Michele's work; it's simple, bold and sensual. The most powerful element has to be color with a capitol C. She clearly enjoys working with strong tones of teals and blues, using glazes as a loose gesture.

And then the absence of color becomes a powerful contrast to texture.

I love the way she seems to listen and respond to her craft. Now that I've worked a little in ceramics, I can see how she might have been inspired by the texture of the canvas when rolling out the slab.

Image by Jennifer Causey as part of The Makers Project.

The pieces play so well alongside textiles. I love how they're paired with Marimekko fabric here.

Her glazes are a loose gesture, she has an almost painterly approach to them. She simply lets nature do the hard work and goes with the result. At least that's what it looks like. I suspect it's much harder to achieve.

You can find Elephant Ceramics here. Jennifer Causey created a beautiful photo shoot of Michele at work in her studio as part of The Makers Project. And for a little house tour (who doesn't love peeking into artists' homes?), Remodelista featured her home here. Lovely.

Artist : Suzanne Sullivan

There are so many talented and creative ceramicists out there these days. Back in March, Paula Greif emailed me with a list of some great talent and introduced me to Suzanne Sullivan's work. Thank you, Paula!

I instantly fell in love with all of Suzanne's work. The simple geometric patterns contrast beautifully with the rough, hand formed surfaces. And look, she has an addiction to spoons too! Why do we love them so? Her's are wonderful. I wish I had one of these when I was enjoying my red kuri soup the other day. The dark pieces would have played off wonderfully with the bright orange.

Here are some recent pieces that came out of Suzanne's kiln in May. All stunners.

Paula mentioned that Suzanne also makes quilts. She knows what I love. Suzanne's partner, the writer Robert Sullivan, published a book entitled "My American Revolution". Suzanne responded to his writing by making historical quilts that reflect his words.

From what I can see, they are stunning. I love imagining the creative conversations between the two while the works were being created. Collaborations are beautiful things to witness, aren't they?

To see more of Suzanne's work, visit her visual blog The Wide Prospect. A Public Space printed Robert's writings and Suzanne's quilts in an article entitled "Almanac" here. You can find Suzanne's work at Mociun in Brooklyn.

New post on Fibershed over at Handful of Salt

I've got a new article about the Bay Area Fibershed project over at Handful of Salt. Head on over and check it out here.

Founder Rebecca Burgess wears an indigo dyed tunic hand knit by Heidi Iverson
using Sally Fox cotton. Image by Paige Green Photography.

Learn more about the Fibershed project here. Update: Thank you Ronnie for the links to these amazing podcasts on the project here and here.

Mali, Land Grab series

Day one back in the studio after a long summer and I finished round one of the Mali map in the new Land Grab series.

Mali, Land Grab Series, 2012 by Kathryn Clark. Broken porcelain plates and clay pots. 5' x 5' 

I was able to accumulate enough plates from thrift stores and this friend and this new friend to make it happen. See that beautiful hand painted dish in the foreground? Pieces like this certainly add a level of depth I didn't have before. This piece was handmade in Egypt.

I still have two more days and counting before my daughter is back in school and I can be in the studio full time again. And that's when I'll sit down and start writing about this series.

I've noticed there's a lot more discussion of our food in the news these days, although that might be because I'm in California where Proposition 37: label our GMO's, is the top story. I'm guessing you can tell which side I'm on. It's getting nasty with Monsanto throwing a lot of money to fight it. This is just one of the issues that comes out of the global land grab and industrial mono-culture farming that results.

Mali, Land Grab Series detail, 2012 by Kathryn Clark.
Broken porcelain plates and clay pots. 5' x 5' 

There are so many little facets of information that I need to summarize in one succinct paragraph. A definite challenge as a writer!

In other news, I have three more artists to share with you in the next two weeks. I can't wait!

work table : Mali (Landgrab series)

I began work off work on the floor/wall installation of the Land Grab series. I will experiment with several versions at first until I come upon that aha moment we all hope for in a new series. In addition to larger broken plates, my friend Myrna Tatar let me dig through her incredible studio to find all sorts of broken plates in her own stash. Oh my, was that fun! She has the same affinity for blue pottery as I do as you can see.

I walked away from her studio with several boxes of wonderful broken shards. As soon as I got home, I dove into work. One of the decisions I have to make is if these pieces should be on the floor or the wall. The floor is an obvious solution. When plates break, they're often found on the floor.

I've chosen to create a map of Mali for the first piece in the series. I have a total of fourteen countries that I will recreate. This first version uses a mix of larger and smaller broken plates.

Mali in progress (Land Grab series), 2012.

I chose to include major rivers in this series as water is being land grabbed just as much as the land is in these countries. This is where it gets tricky, locating the major rivers.

After starting this piece, I came across a much more detailed map. I also want to be sure to focus on the rivers that are most affected. More research, which I love.

I'm using the blue pottery to represent water, Blue Willow especially. For a few years I lived near several beautiful willow trees that lazily hung over a meandering creek. The funny thing was they were in a Burger King parking lot. Enough said.

Mali in progress (Land Grab series), 2012.

The next version will be made with larger shards, ideally more tightly bound. The nice element about this version though is the ability to place it on a wall to mimic the idea of 'wall plates' like you see in traditional homes.

Summer distractions and broken plates

It's been a distracting summer this year. My daughter has twelve weeks off from school, only two of them will be spent at camp. Needless to say, more than two hours in the studio every day is rare. The other distraction is my new garden, which is going strong. When the produce is ripe, you've got to jump into action. With twenty raised beds and nineteen fruit trees, I've had my hands full!

My brain, however, is longing and aching to spend time in the studio to catch up on all these ideas in my sketchbook around the landgrabbing series. My clay class is over and now I'm waiting for the call to pick up my glazed and fired pieces from the studio. Hopefully they turned out and I can share some of them with you soon. Trust me, they're elementary! But you have to start somewhere. Three years ago I didn't even know how to sew and I learned that medium in no time! In the meantime, I have other ideas flowing around the series. Here is one image I came across that I just can't get out of my mind. It was taken in China.

Image by Jennifer Ling Datchuk taken in China

I'm on the hunt for broken plates for the new series. I see lots of talk about broken plates on the internet, how you can find them on ebay. But every time I search, I come up empty handed. But seriously, if I could just get my hands on all of these, I'd be the happiest gal alive!

Image by Jennifer Ling Datchuk taken in China

I have a friend who plans to give me a box full next week to supplement my trips to local thrift stores. But I need a stash that looks like these.

Image by Jennifer Ling Datchuk taken in China

I wonder how many restaurants break plates every week? Any ideas on where to look would be wonderful! I feel like there's some obvious solution that I'm missing. If anyone can enlighten me, I would be thrilled!

Artist : Vicki Grima

Once again, Lari Washburn and Sophie Truong have spotted an artisan who I also admire. I came across Vicki Grima's 87 spoons project on Sophie's Pinterest board, spoon obsession. I, too, have an obsession with spoons, and Vicki's certainly push the envelope.

Vicki Grima, 87 Spoons, 2011. Cool Ice

It all began with a Culinary Clay workshop she attended in Bali in 2010. Returning to her native Australia, she continued exploring the subject in her own studio.

Vicki Grima, 87 Spoons, 2011. Cool Ice spoon BRT bowl

These are gorgeous, especially the ones that are paired with the contrasting textured bowls.

Vicki Grima, 87 Spoons, 2011. Cool Ice spoon BRT bowl

Functional sculpture is what these are. They almost look like something you would find lying in the bottom of the ocean in the rough brown sand.

Vicki Grima, 87 Spoons, 2011. Cool Ice spoon BRT bowl

See more of Vicki's 87 Spoons series and her other work on her website. If you head over to Lari and Sophie's websites, you'll see their own work with spoons over the past few weeks at Ingrid Bathe's workshop in Maine. I SO wish I could have been there working alongside them.

Upcoming Show : Disintegration and Repair at Warm Springs Gallery

Four of my foreclosure quilts will be included in the July exhibition "Disintegration and Repair" at Warm Springs Gallery in Charlottesville, VA.  I'm thrilled to be a part of a show with some talented fiber artists who I've come to know online and in person. See below to learn more about the other artists in the exhibition.

Barbara Wisnoski

Grey Rain Sea, 152 x 157 cm by Barbara Wisnoski.

Barbara and I spent an afternoon together with our mutual friend, Myrna Tatar, last year to see Barbara's pieces at the San Jose Quilt Museum. Her work was even more impressive in person.

Lotta Helleberg

Forest Floor by Lotta Helleberg. Leaf printed, plant dyed linen,
wool thread, hand stitched. 21" x 33"

I met Lotta online last year and we had an instant connection through our work. Lotta's work is inspired by nature and is stunningly beautiful. Be sure to read Lotta's blog if you're interested in the fiber process. It's an amazing resource.

Karen Henderson

Accept by Karen Henderson. Hand woven silk, paper, rayon paper w/silk; batik, dye paint, discharge,
layered with cotton fabric, with stitching, paint and silver foil.

30” x 61”. Photograph by John Sterling Ruth

Karen uses many traditional fiber techniques including weaving, dyeing, and stitching to reflect the cycles of nature.

Margarite Gignoux

Strings by Margarite Gignoux. Handmade cotton paper, machine stitched and
mounted on canvas. 46" x 70"

Margarite uses a diverse variety of fabrics, papers, buttons, beads and other recycled materials to make powerful quilts that push the boundaries of the medium.

The exhibition runs from July 1st through July 31st at Warm Springs Gallery in Charlottesville, VA. There is an artist reception on Friday, July 6th from 6-8 pm. I won't be able to make it in person but I hope those of you near are able to visit.

Artist : Mel Robson

Based in Brisbane, Australia, Mel Robson's ceramics combine art and craft in a way that you rarely see. How often do you see conceptual ceramics out there?

Keep Calm and Carry On (coat of arms), 2008, slipcast porcelain, 20cm x 34cm

Every year Mel's work is more powerful than the next. I found her work via Pinterest, via Jealous Curator. I can't believe I remembered that. These days it's so hard to track the endless paths one takes on the internet.

Fortitude, 2006, slipcast porcelain with decals, 10cm x 5cm

I was first drawn in by her maps, you know me. I love the image transfer but what makes it such a powerful piece is the translucency with the map in reverse shining through on the outside. Beautiful. Her ceramics are well crafted, thoughtfully detailed and very clever. Her series Keep Calm and Carry On addresses stories she heard from the women in her family who experienced war time. It addresses what it must have been like for them while they went on with their daily lives while the men were off at war.

Weeping Willow (Keep Calm and Carry On series), 2008, found ceramic plates (water jet cut),
8cm x 10cm each 

A very successful series and beautifully made. Water jet cut, eh? Hmmm, the ideas are flowing!

Shot Gun, 2008, ceramic plate (water jet cut), 95cm x 60cm

Where to stop? I can't! The Absence of Objects installation was inspired by the heritage collections one finds in libraries. So many stories that have been forgotten are saved here. Mel calls them "little doorways into the past". Individually, the pieces are powerful in their own right.

Spoon Works, 2007, slipcast porcelain 4cm x 11cm each

But seen as a whole, they make a powerful statement.

The Absence of Objects (detail), 2006, slipcast porcelain with decals 

Fight and flight (detail), 2007, slipcast porcelain with decals, 11cm x 11cm (set) 

See her blog Feffakookan (named after a german biscuit her nana used to make) to see lots more of Mel's work. Enjoy!

Work table : Land Grabbing Series

The land grabbing series is underway (there's got to be a better name). In the meantime, all of my Foreclosure quilts are now shipped off to new homes or are in upcoming shows. I started my clay class last week and have learned a tremendous amount already. Last night we experimented with slab construction. I handed over my first pieces for firing so we'll see if they turn out. In the meantime, there is a lot of experimenting going on in my studio as well. Here's a peek.

Above are pieces my daughter and I made on our first day in the 'clay' studio. Of course, there will be textiles as part of this series as well.

Ceramics will be a quick learning curve for me as I tend to throw myself into my work 200% once I have an idea. I already have a lot of clay tools in my studio including some of my mom's from thirty plus years ago.

Both of my parents were artists and made pottery. Here's one of my favorite pictures of my dad hard at work. I love the pipe hanging out of his mouth while he works.

In between clay building, I'm developing the series and honing down on the subject matter with lots of sketches, studies and writing.

I love this moment in the process, when the idea is there but it needs refining and direction. It gives me the chance to study the idea in different scales from the tiny ...

Oil Palm Seed. Image by Rhett A. Butler.

To the global scale ...

Oil Palm clear cutting in the Ketipang district of Indonesia's West
Kalimantan province, July 5, 2010. Image courtesy of REUTERS/Craig Palinggi

It will all come together in the end as an intimate yet powerful statement about industrial agriculture and land grabbing. I hope to share some writing about the work with you next week but in the meantime, there are lots of other ceramicists to share with you so stay tuned.

Artist : Paula Greif

What better way to kick off a ceramics binge on my blog than my featuring Paula Greif's work. It was Greif's story behind her ceramics that instantly drew me into her work.

Photo by Anita Calero and Gemma Comas.

She was simply inspired to make everything she uses in her home by hand after reading a book about Alexander Calder, who did the same. Why not?

Pottery Paula made for her home in 2011. Photo by Paula Greif.

And that's exactly what she set out to do. Nothing like a mission to light a fire under your pants. That's kind of how I'm feeling these days so I can really relate to that kind of passion.

Paula's pottery on her kitchen shelves. 
Photo by Anita Calero and Gemma Comas.

Lots and lots of making, producing, experimenting, trying things out, messing around and having fun. Art should be all that, right? Paula's got it in spades.

Photo by Paula Greif.

I love these rows of spoons. So many ideas being developed here. I love the looseness and confidence in exploring.

Photo by Paula Greif.

And it all ends up on the table. I'm obsessed lately with table settings as I work on formulating this new series on industrial agriculture. How to present the work? So many directions to follow. The answer will become clearer with time and my own exploration.

Photo by Anita Calero and Gemma Comas.

In the meantime, I started my clay class this week and had a great time. I learned a tremendous amount from the teacher (who is Japanese, love that) and was surrounded by a lot of talented students. Soon, I'll have something of my own work to show you! In the meantime, enjoy more of Paula's work on her website, her tumbler page which has lots of images of her work and a feature on Remodelista.