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laura clemons
I look for simple beauty in the
functional pieces I throw on the wheel and hand-build from slabs,
whether it's a utilitarian bowl with just the right flare of its
rim, or a decorative platter or vase carved with organic, often
botanical, designs.
SHARD SERIES. The passage of time and the implied authenticity of aged materials have always resonated with me; I see more beauty in the patina of, say, weathered wood or metal than in the unblemished purity of the new. I favor deeply textured surfaces coated in opaque glazes that break along the edges of the pot and the high spots of carving, or sandy clay slips roughly banded onto a pot's exterior. In the shape of my hand-built platters, I try to suggest architectural elements that have been battered by time, but not beaten by it. In the "shard" platter and plate series, for instance, I intentionally keep the edges irregular, as if broken by frequent use. UNFURLING SERIES.
I call this series of vases "unfurling," because the shapes bring to
my mind a bud's gently unfolding leaves or the opening petals of a
calla lily -- or even the sinuous curving feminine form. These vases
are sculptural and beautiful as stand-alone objects, but they're
also an elegant way to show off a single long-stemmed iris
WOOD SPIRIT SERIES.
All my life, I've seen faces in wood: in tree trunks and even
flooring and wall paneling, because knots often take the
configuration of the human face: two eyes, a nose, a mouth. In my
wood-spirit series, I throw two sizes: a crock that's appropriate
for utensils in the kitchen or a casual bouquet of wildflowers and a
cozy to hold four- and six-inch potted plants. Finding the face in
each crock or cozy is a joy; each pot is as ASSEMBLAGES SERIES. I find extraordinary freedom in this series of "assembled" vases — thrown components that are linked together, often with a simple coil impressed by a sea shell. Assembling vases in this fashion lets me achieve sizes and shapes I can't get on the wheel in a single throwing; the angles and curves can be more extreme and dramatic. The sheer size of these vases are a blank canvas to me, and I can't resist carving designs on them or imbedding clay attachments for greater complexity.
The bowl form, in fact, is how I got my start. In 1999, I began studying with potter Pamela Patton in order to make some of the bowls used by Putnam County Habitat for Humanity for its signature fund-raising event, Cooking on the Square. Every year since, I've contributed at least 200 bowls to help this worthy cause reach its goals. (Learn more about this organization and its annual programs by visiting www.pchabitat.org.) All my work is functional, mid-range-fired stoneware. All pieces are waterproof and food safe and perfectly capable of warming your leftovers in the microwave. With a little care, you can even use them in your oven and freezer. Over time, frequent dishwasher use might dull some of the glaze surfaces, as can the minerals in wet soil if you're potting plants directly into the cozies or bowls.
If you're interested in seeing this stoneware
firsthand, visit these art destinations in Cookeville:
Simply Functional Stoneware www.finecrafts.org/Clemons/Laura.htm
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Little
in life is as fulfilling as creating something with your hands, and
the ability of the potter to construct functional objects of beauty
is deeply appealing to me. As in life, the process of creation
provides as much joy as the end result — and in clay, I find a
process that can offer up new opportunities and explorations for a
lifetime.
blossom
in the spring or spray of gladiolus in the summer.
individually formed as you and I. 
SIMPLY
FUNCTIONAL STONEWARE. I throw bowls of all
sizes and small, simple vases and carved mugs -- the kinds of
vessels we all use everyday. To me, there's a lot of satisfaction in
serving homemade food in vessels made by an artist you know --
bruschetta on a shard platter, or a rich and smooth gumbo in a soup
bowl, or your morning coffee or tea in a mug that fits your hand
comfortably.