Artist: Hannah Graeper Carver

 

Hannah Graeper Carver, NEW YORK
View Artist's Products

 

Artist Statement:

My formal college training was not in ceramics, but rather in urban planning, in particular, the spacial relationship between aesthetics and sense of place. I am intrigued by the fact that so many cultures throughout time and space have created incredibly unique and influential decorative styles that are all based on the shared use of simple lines and dots. Though the primary use of these two decorative elements might on the surface seem restrictive, whole rich artistic traditions have been created from their exclusive use. In my own work, I strive to draw forth new patterns out of those two ancient and widely used artistic components, finding inspiration in the patterning of Moorish tile, Ukranian pysanky and Middle Eastern henna, among many others. I like to use repetitive, symmetrical patterns and simple, clean forms that give depth to the pattern work rather than taking attention away from it.

 

Bio:

I am a self-taught ceramic artist based near Ithaca, New York. I began my career by apprenticing for several potters in NY and NC, through which I was able to develop a cohesive body of work. I use a mid-range, brown stoneware and I work primarily on the potters wheel, though I make a number of items using slabs and hump molds. My pieces are defined by the patterns that I draw on them; repeating, often symmetrical designs that flow across the surface and appear to get lost in a coat of glaze above. I free hand glaze trail all the patterns directly onto bare, bisqued clay, leaving much of the raw clay exposed.  The work is then fired in an electric kiln at cone 6 and the resulting pieces have a crisp, textured surface.  I am inspired by Moorish architectural tile, Spanish Talavera and similar highly patterned wares of historic and cultural importance.