Not Your Grandma's Ceramics

Many potters make vessels to hold water, perfume, and other liquids. American artist Woody De Othello challenges this convention, designing vessels to hold emotions.

In his 2021 sculpture The will to make things happen, above, De Othello explores the feelings people experienced while stuck at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The TV, radiator, and mirror look worn and familiar. Giant hands hug biomorphic vessels that have ears, noses, and legs, as if saying, “It will all be OK.”

When creating works like this, De Othello says, he thinks about the “figures or emotions that live adjacent to the sculptures.”

Most vessels hold water, perfume, and other liquids. But American artist Woody De Othello designs vessels to hold emotions.

In his 2021 sculpture The will to make things happen, above, De Othello explores the feelings of being stuck at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. He makes vessels and other common household objects seem to come alive. Giant hands hug vessels that have ears, noses, and legs. It’s as if they’re saying, “It will all be OK.”

Courtney Mattison’s 2021 Revolve, above, is a swirl of ideas. Close inspection of the wall relief—a sculpture mounted on the wall—reveals shells, tubes, and other formations found in a coral reef. Mattison says the “swirling design” echoes the way water connects us.

The artist works with stoneware and porcelain, and uses tools to create varied textures. Mattison glazed the outer ring in white to represent the “coral bleaching on reefs stricken by climate change.”

Mattison studied marine ecology and ceramics, and her art is grounded in science. She hopes her work raises awareness and inspires conservation.

Courtney Mattison’s 2021 Revolve, above, is mounted on a wall. It contains shells, tubes, and other formations found in a coral reef. The swirling design represents the way water connects us.

Mattison works with stoneware and porcelain. She glazes the outer ring in white to show the “coral bleaching on reefs stricken by climate change.”

Mattison studied science and ceramics. Her art raises awareness about protecting the planet.

In the late 2010s, the peacock spider became a viral image on social media. If a male peacock spider does not perform a dance that impresses the female it is courting, the female might kill it. In her 2020 Peacock Spider, above, Canadian artist Shary Boyle uses her own version of the spider to prompt viewers to question how they perform their lives on social media. “The distinction between personal integrity and public persona has become dangerously blurred,” she explains. The spider is made of stoneware—one of the roughest forms of ceramics—and dances on a hand that’s made of porcelain—the finest form of ceramics. Acrylic nails crafted by artist Justin Cappelletti decorate the tips of the fingers. The hand is tense, as if ready to attack with its sharp nails the moment it is bored.

In the late 2010s, the peacock spider went viral on social media. If this male spider does not do a dance that impresses the female it is courting, the female might kill it. In her 2020 Peacock Spider, above, Canadian artist Shary Boyle makes her own version of the spider. She compares the spider’s dance to how people perform their lives on social media. The work is made of stoneware—the roughest form of ceramics. The spider dances on a hand made of porcelain—the most delicate type of ceramics. Acrylic nails decorate the fingers. The hand is tense and seems ready to attack as soon as it gets bored.

New Mexican artist Rose B. Simpson was born into a family of sculptors. Simpson continues the traditions of her Pueblo ancestors, who have been making ceramics since the 6th century.

In her 2017 work 7th Generation, above, Simpson uses some of the same methods as her ancestors. She also uses her own process, which she calls “slap slab.” She layers the clay, resulting in a highly textured surface.

Simpson hopes works like 7th Generation help viewers look at the world around them and inside themselves. She sees masks as a way of representing ancestors and as “reminders that we’re never alone.”

New Mexican artist Rose B. Simpson is from a family of sculptors. Her Pueblo ancestors started making ceramics in the 6th century.

In her 2017 work 7th Generation, above, Simpson uses some of the same methods as her ancestors. She also works with her own process, which she calls “slap slab.” It involves layering clay to create a textured surface.

Simpson sees masks that honor ancestors as “reminders that we’re never alone.”