Bae Pottery

My art practice pulls from many facets of my life. During my Biochemistry doctorate and post-doctorate research I studied the microscopic architecture of the cell that spatially organizes and directs motility inside cells. My design education and ongoing career in landscape architecture further investigates spatially important juxtaposition of form and function in carving gardens out of the land macroscopically. These educational foundations heavily influence my visions and forms in clay, but my art is intentionally directed away from the precision that both science and architecture require. To have the freedom to create with abandon and explore with unfettered curiosity is essential to my artwork. This series is not about functional work, but a further exploration of a series started years ago that I continue to resonate with and pull from in all of my ongoing work in clay in line work and forms. Technically, my process involves using the electrical and atmospheric firing of stoneware clay with layers of slips, engobes, and oxides. I add and subtract layers by scratching and carving markings into the clay. These markings are simple in form and free in their making. I like to create pieces to see which minimal forms and drawn lines might convey a sense or feeling of an object. I often work in series, chasing a feeling until I can resolve it in the clay form and on the surface of the clay. This way of working often leads to new investigations for me.