Artist's Statement

Craft, making things by hand, is important to me. I work across many types of media to make mostly functional objects to be used in everyday life. The act of creating something with more meaning than its components is fulfilling. Inspiration comes from my life experience and the things I enjoy: history, science and travel.

 

Ceramics is my primary medium, but the act of creation is what drives me. Learning the historical ways and methods for creating useful objects is integral to my process. Research and experimentation are a huge part of my practice, from creating custom clay bodies and glazes, to diving deep into the history of photographing criminals. I am particularly interested in the Japanese pottery aesthetic, both in the use of clay and glaze as well as philosophy for creating functional ceramics. 

 

Printmaking is the newest skill in my toolbox. Printing on tableware is common in large scale manufacturing, and I am looking at methods appropriate for small scale production. I am experimenting with different methods of printing on clay to use in my ceramics practice. I started with printing on newsprint and using slip transfer to get the image on greenware. That method has issues and recently I moved to using stencils to print on bisqueware. Experimentation will continue with printing directly on fresh slabs. Transferring the spirit of the mugshots onto ceramics will be the culmination of the research. My work uses the many skills I have learned to express myself. My goal is to craft things people want as part of their everyday life.

 

Michelle Smith

Chesterfield, MO