This exhibition in the Clayworks gallery features a wealth of hand-crafted pottery by three superb artists: Deb Schwartzkopf, Olivia Tani, Clovy Tsuchiya, 

 

Each of these makers holds function in high regard, crafting pots intended for daily use and giving deep consideration to the aesthetics of seeing and touching. The result is an amazing collection of wares—with curvy, naturalistic shapes and sumptuous, rich surface designs—ready to brighten any table.

 

WARNING: Adding an artwork to your shopping cart does not, sadly, reserve it. Another visitor may have the same item in their cart and “scoop” it from you if they input their credit card first. If you really love a piece, we suggest you hurry to the check out to avoid disappointment. You can continue shopping after that purchase.

DEB SCHWARTZKOPF

Seattle, WA • BIO

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OLIVIA TANI

Minneapolis, MN • BIO

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CLOVY TSUCHIYA

Freeland, WA • BIO

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ARTIST BIOS

 

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DEB SCHWARTZKOPF

In my studio practice I draw from my own ever-evolving processes, as well as my approach to problem-solving. I also look further afield, drinking in the details of the world around me—a sponge for nuances of color placement in birds and how shadows break up forms and cause me to notice them anew. I am always asking myself, “How does this cup feel when held? Where will this pitcher live? What am I communicating with this line or volume?” My mind blends and refracts the interests I research, and these circling, recurring questions. In the stillness and intensity of my studio practice I am free to listen, to move clay, to invent...

— Deb Schwartzkopf

 

With over 15 years of experience, an MFA from Penn State, artwork included in collections such as the Kamm Teapot Foundation, San Angelo Museum, and the Washington State Arts Collection, numerous publications including Ceramic Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, and Studio Potter Magazine, Deb Schwartzkopf has been recognized and honored in her career as a maker. In 2013 Schwartzkopf established Rat City Studios in her hometown of Seattle, WA, and in 2022 she opened a sister studio, Rain City Clay in West Seattle. These community art centers focus on experiential learning through ceramics classes for enthusiasts of all levels. Schwartzkopf is also the author of Creative Pottery: Innovative Techniques & Experimental Designs in Ceramics, published in 2020.

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OLIVIA TANI

Pottery evokes generosity. The fullness of the inflated elements invites touch and interaction. I pay attention not only to form and function, but also to contact, questioning how a human body will approach and handle each object. The haptic quality of masses and volumes is attractive and engaging. I view my work as a kind of functional domestic sculpture. In the end, the wares I make are utilitarian, yet they can stand alone as celebrations of form.

— Olivia Tani

 

After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred University School of Art and Design, Olivia Tani moved to Minneapolis, MN for a one-year artist residency at Northern Clay Center as a Fogelberg Studio Fellow. She fell in love with the Clay Center as well as Minneapolis and the bountiful community of artists there. As her residency came to a close, Olivia was granted a personal studio space to rent at the Clay Center, where she continues to work alongside the new resident artists and fellow studio artists. She is represented in Northern Clay Center's sales gallery and participates in the exhibitions and events held in the space. Her focus now is to further develop her work, making good use of the materials and equipment available at the Clay Center, and to be present in the Minneapolis clay community.

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CLOVY TSUCHIYA

I call my current body of work Zygoplasia, a word I put together out of spare parts, which individually reference a pair yoked together, and cellular multiplication and growth. I like to think of my pots as being made of two layers of tissue that intertwine to form a vessel that has evolved for the serving of food. I particularly want the dividing line between the surfaces to flow between parts of the pot’s anatomy, and to draw the eye around, in, and under. To me, I’m engaged in a single long-running project that is carried out through dozens of pots, each one embodying a bit of experimentation.

— Clovy Tsuchiya

 

Clovy Tsuchiya has a BA with a concentration in Studio Ceramics from Berea College in Berea, KY. After college she started an apprenticeship with Cook on Clay, a commercial pottery on Whidbey Island in Washington State. In addition to establishing her own studio practice, Tsuchiya taught ceramics at Whidbey Art Escape, and co-founded Potters of Whidbey, a ceramics interest and advocacy group that operates under the auspices of the Whidbey Island Arts Council. Over the past ten years Tsuchiya's work has appeared in numerous gallery exhibitions across the US, including Cup: The Intimate Object XIV at Charlie Cummings Gallery in Gainesville, FL.

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