Two Dogs Clay

Cynthia Deutsch
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I like to create work that is colorful, playful, and full of pattern. The intent is to bring happiness through use of daily objects, whether it is on the cup that we use to sip our drinks or the vase that we use to decorate our living and working spaces. Each piece is designed with the intent to bring joy and celebration into our lives.

Each pot is a blank canvas for me to play on. I coat the surfaces of my work, made with stoneware or porcelain, in brightly colored underglazes. Once dried to leather hard, I hand carve my design, patterns, and illustrations, adding additional colors to highlight the designs. The final surface of each piece bursts with shapes contrasted by dancing lines that are meant to complement the form of the pot, bringing a sense of movement and life to an otherwise still object.

There is an intimacy in both the making and in the use of the created piece. As a maker, I am immersed in the experience of creating a piece; feeling and understanding the movement of the clay as I work towards the final form. When a piece is complete, the sensory process continues with touch from our hands and sometimes our lips, our eyes engaged in observing the shape and the beauty of a piece in our surroundings. As the maker of functional ware, I think about this every time my hands touch the clay, focusing on the intention of the piece and imagining how it will be used. From the way the piece hits the eye, to the touch sensation and how it feels as we use it, every part of my pottery is created with daily use in mind.