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Making pots provides a few very important things for me: discipline, including regular physical and mental exercise; a measure of creativity and productivity; a role in history as artisan. The choice to pursue potting as a profession came as a bit of a surprise to me at first, but now seems the ideal solution to the puzzle of life. It satisfies the athlete, the academic, and the connoisseur in me alike. I can be my own boss, make my own inventory, and connect with those who buy and use my work. Along with the rewards, there are many lessons to be learned in patience, cooperation, and loss.
Working within the timeline of ceramic history, my position comes humbly after centuries of past civilizations, whose technological developments and discoveries are still viable today. I have been strongly influenced by Chinese pots from the Han and Sung Dynasties, as well as the contemporary Yixing teapots. Equally stirring are the ancient Etruscan black ware vessels, Korean celadons, and the dynamic forms and surfaces of Persian and Egyptian wares. My education and formal training honors these cultures and their ceramic traditions, and places me in the context of contemporary American art…a culture wherein handmade pottery seems archaic, but somehow manages to endure.
Bridging the gap between historic utilitarian vessels, and the pedestal art of our present culture is what I find most challenging. My ceramic aesthetic allows me to be inclusive in the exploration of contemporary approaches, such as Minimalism and Modernist thought. Designer Eva Zeisel, sculptor Anish Kapoor, and architect Frank Gehry inspire my studio practice. I think of clay as a building material that can mimic any other, and my pots speak of architecture, car design, and other massive structures. No idea is too big or too small to investigate. The clay can always be recycled before the firing.
christa assad 