Chris Simoncelli, ceramic artist

All of my ceramics are made of white stoneware clay. The vases and teapots are assembled from multiple pieces, either hand built or wheel thrown.  The wide bases and thick handles express stability and volume, a quality that exists in some of my favorite historical pottery from Minoa, Greece, Korea and China.  My new series of vases are named after blues songs by Howlin Wolf, Slim Harpo and Lightnin’ Hopkins.  Blues and jazz from the fifties and sixties is the music I am most passionate about, and often listen to while working.

My fascination with color has provided motivation to continue expanding my palette, and challenge myself with color relationships.  Influenced by contemporary painters such as Frank Stella and many of the German Expressionists,  I use bold, saturated color with a preference for retro combinations popular in the 1970’s.  The painted designs were initially derived from the forms themselves, as I drew line drawings as abstractions of them.  They fit together now as puzzle pieces that wrap the forms, or extend across the platters without boundaries.

The color comes from commercial stains, which I add to gloss and matte base glaze recipes I developed.  Each color is painted with four coats, and often over-sprayed for shading.  The pieces are fired to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit in an electric kiln, which maintains a neutral atmosphere, and permits the widest range of color possibilities.
 

Dinnerware and serving bowl sets (made to order) Ordering information...		Examples of one-of-a-kind pieces Click on thumbnails to see full pages