Ceramics are having a moment! They have become increasingly popular in the international world of fine art. Ceramic art is selling for record highs at auction, as well as showing up at acclaimed art fairs and in museum collections.
Well + Wonder Artist Kristin Endsley makes collecting high quality, show-stopper ceramic busts possible with her release coming up on Monday, April 5th – don’t miss it! Kristin’s busts bring a thoughtful, worldly, beautiful feeling to any room. Not to mention, ceramics are FUN! In a year when much of our lives are happening online, the physical presence of ceramics in your home just might revive you from Zoom fatigue.
(Kristin's studio)
Tips on Collecting Ceramic Art…
(photo taken in the home of Shannon Claire, Shannon Claire Interiors)
Tips on Installing/Styling Ceramic Art…
(design by Shannon Claire Interiors)
Kristin’s creative process is more fragile than you may think…
Kristin’s ceramic work began as an escape. She felt a sudden urge to have a creative process that required more physical labor than her practice at the time, painting, would allow. She quickly discovered that working with porcelain matched the constant vulnerability that surrounded her and says this...
“Working with clay, especially porcelain (her material of choice), requires a great amount of patience and care to produce. At each step of the process you have the looming question, will it survive? Even when the piece is complete and strong from the kiln’s firings there is a sense of fragility to the artwork.”
(Kristin pulling work from her kiln)
Her inspiration comes from travel, artists she admires, and poetry…
Having traveled extensively to study and hone her ceramic knowledge and skills, Kristin pulls inspiration from her studies...pulling her blues from Sydney Australia, the earth tones from the English countryside, and the simple African forms from Marrakech.
(busts from Marrakech)
Brooklyn-based sculptor Simone Leigh is a big source of inspiration for Kristin. Simone was recently selected to be the first Black woman to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale in 2022 – a HUGE honor in the art world! Her large-scale works explore Black women’s stories and histories. Both Simone and Kristin leave the identity of their busts undefined. As you can see, this abstract quality is incredibly captivating.
(artist Simone Leigh with her work)
All of this inspiration can be best summed up in Kristin’s favorite poem by potter Michael Cardew…
“Most people think of china or porcelain
As merely for use, or for decoration—
In either case, an inferior art.
For me, they are neither “use” nor “decoration”—
That is, decoration as a background for living;
For me, they are life itself. To be among such things,
If it is an escape, it is escape into living.”
Thank you Kristin for enlightening us on the topic of collecting ceramics!! The more we learn about your inspirations and creative process, the more eagerly we anticipate your release on April 5th! As always, don't hesitate to reach out with any and all collecting questions HERE.
xx, Emily