collaborations | Catherine Satterlee Ceramics
2023-04-05
Born from playfulness and material-directed discovery, this special collection of poppy- inspired ceramics by DC artist Catherine Satterlee is one of our favorite collaborations to date.
"In every piece I try to challenge myself to keep looking as I work, to see things with fresh eyes, and to take risks."
22.8 Poppies, Stoneware. 9 x 7.25 x 2.25 inches
"I’m largely self-taught, and my approach to clay is very much influenced by the contemporary art values I grew up with—I feel compelled not to repeat myself."
22.34 White flowers, Stoneware, 12 x 7.5 x 4.5 inches.
APPLIED DECORATION—"After a trip to Japan several years ago, I began working on a series of plates and bottles with a cherry blossom motif.
The series involved cutting flower shapes from a thin sheet of moist colored clay with a die and then applying them to damp vessels with slip—liquid clay—as the adhesive, or simply pressing one clay shape into another while both clays are quite moist. The two clays remain distinct but adhere during a slow setting up process, kept damp under plastic for many days."
22.11 Poppies Oval, Stoneware, 11.25 x 7.5 x 5 inches
POPPIES—"I began by rolling out thin sheets of white clay, painting them with colored underglazes, and then cutting, and later tearing, shapes that suggested flower petals. When I squeezed the clay between my thumb and fingers, the stretched clay gave a lovely texture, and the rough edges that resulted from the pressing evoked delicate poppy blossoms.
Stems were thin strips of painted clay, pressed thinner and very gently laid on a bed of wet slip, along with the flower petals. A light coating of glaze on the flower petals brought out the colors and contrasted with the rough texture of the body."
22.37 Tall Poppy Vase, Stoneware, 9.25 x 3.5 x 2 inches
Catherine works in a coop studio in Alexandria, VA, where she hand-builds nearly 110 unique pieces a year.
22.46 Garden Party iii., Stoneware, 12 x 6 x 3.5 inches
22.20 Oneira Bottle ii., Stoneware, 10.5 x 6.25 x 2 inches
ONEIRA—"The Oneira theme—oneira means dream in Greek—was inspired by the FFF workshop in Greece. (I’ve never been to Greece, and the posts rekindled my dream of going there!)
Using the same approach of pressing and tearing thin fragments of clay, I made loose grids of small squares and rectangles, suggesting the lovely villages of Andros. And the blues of the Aegean began to appear in these pieces."
22.33 Tall Bottle, Stoneware, 9.75 x 3.75 x 2 inches. "I’ve come full circle—via painting, graphic design, and museum exhibitions work—to ceramics again."
