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Gail MilesCeramics
My ceramic work is decorative and functional. I use two main ideas on the surface decoration of each piece: “contrast” and “patina”. Dark rustic clay bodies, colorful custom glazes and interesting patterns and text feature prominently in my work. I find using text brings so much beauty and interest to ceramic surfaces.
Beautiful, earthy, rough, textured, matte clay is enhanced by the contrast of a soft luxurious jewel-toned glaze. Old, distressed and weathered items can be beautiful to look at and touch. I like to bring patina to my work. The final surface on each pot includes color, pattern and distressed surface marks. As I throw or hand build each pot, rather than striving for technical perfection, I look for interest, texture, layering and depth that come with making each piece. I think irregular tableware can be interesting, fun and special to eat and drink out of. I have a master’s degree in linguistics and we had a family bluegrass band for a while. All three of my children are bluegrass and jazz musicians. The text on my work are lyrics from public domain bluegrass songs. I love merging music with ceramics. |