Collection: Ruth Easterbrook

Artist Statement:  I make pottery as an active participant in the coming together of people, sharing and the enjoyment of food. Eating a beautifully prepared meal creates a celebration. I make pieces of service and, I make interaction. Decisions in design facilitate containing, presenting and service in the daily lives of others.

My detailed surfaces enhance the importance of a moment—attentive handling that leads to discovery and pleasure. Floral motifs are inspired by the wildflowers and gardens of my home in Northern California. I grew up in-tune with the season and was taught to identify and appreciate the wildflowers found in my backyard. This home was lost in the Fire Storms of 2017. While the structures are gone the flowers return to their familiar place demonstrating resilience and representing a place and time.

Using a variety of processes to build (the wheel, coil, and slab) I respond to the pace of each technique. My forms embody generosity and communicate utility that welcomes interaction. Often, I fall in love with the soft dewy surface of the leather hard pot, chasing silky-matte glazes that recapture a similar sheen. Using a palette of glazes from matte to glossy I map out the decoration with the intent of collaborating with the firing to flux and move glaze across surfaces. I welcome happenstance and embrace the power of the heat as it transforms wet earth to rock and ground rocks to a multitude of glazes.