Andrea Denniston

Artist Statement:

I am a potter.  Making pottery that will find a place in someone’s home is my goal, sometimes a lofty goal. Because of this, I strive for clean, comfortable and well-crafted pots.   I am interested in how and why utilitarian pottery has a place in present-day society.

Through my pots I aspire to add pomp to daily living. I combine the necessary with the unnecessary – utility and ornament. In doing so, I work to make unique and engaging objects. My hope is that the pots I create spur curiosity in others by requiring them to look closely with both their hands and their eyes, as a visual examination alone is not enough.

My studio working pace has gradually become slow and steady as I spend extended lengths of time on each pot. I am firing smaller kiln loads and spending more time decorating and paying attention to the small details.  My color pallet tends to be bright, the colors of candy I enjoyed as a kid and continue to take pleasure in today. I want my work to have a light and lively feeling. Therefore, the clay I use is a grolleg porcelain that I fire to 2245°F in an electric kiln. This clay provides a very white canvas that gives vibrancy to my glazes and decoration. With each pot and kiln load, the choices I make in color, form and decoration come together to form a body of work that continues to create new challenges, questions and solutions.