Artist Statement

I enjoy making pots with explicit functions. The vessels I make suggest extreme specificity, such as flower bricks, ring pillows, or more innovative devices, such as pickle pals or corn on the cob servers. My functional work is created with the modern housewife in mind, and aims to calm and relax her with its ease of use. Each piece is crafted in much the same way one would sew a garment, with seams left visible to emphasize each pattern piece. This visual element can act as a reminder of one of the tasks a homemaker can enjoy.

The use of fanciful, innovative functions is derived from my interest in elaborate dining services of the 18th and 19^th century European elite, as well as modern infomercial-type kitchenware products. I also draw from Chindogu, The Japanese Art of the Unuseless Object.  I find it amusing that these types of items are made for such specificity that they are frequently useless. Their convenience for the homemaker becomes more of a chore, monopolizing her time and requiring her presence in the kitchen.

I exploit the humor of this dilemma by creating whimsical vessels whose exaggerated proportions prove them to be like caricatures of themselves. Soft, layered glazes, with the whispered suggestion of pattern, produce a velvety surface. The pots that emerge are elegant, feminine and fanciful, and they entice the user to try on the role of homemaker.

  Email Cheyenne @ cheyenne@rudolphclaystudios.com