AN OCEAN ON A VESSEL
CONTEMPORARY CERAMIC OBJECTS
BY LISA GEUE
Probably by now, you might have noticed I’ve been paying a lot of attention to ceramic art. I am truly in love with the beauty in the simplicity of the shapes and textures, and not to mention, on a personal level, the meditation it provides sitting and molding clay on a potters wheel. Today we meet an artist, self taught, who creates her own glazes using minerals, sand, carbonates, shells, wood ash, soda and rainwater only.
Tell us about yourself Lisa
I’m currently based in the countryside of Germany, near Berlin. I used to live in Australia before and my mindset is still there and I miss it every day. I went to Art School to study photography but I never really felt fulfilled doing that. I took a break from art for about 4 years and recently, after touching clay for the first time it just clicked. One year later, I can’t imagine doing anything else (yet).
Greatest inspirations or influences?
Learning about the history of ceramics and pottery is still an ongoing process. So finding inspiration still happens frequently. But I have always appreciated and felt drawn to indigenous practices and ancient techniques. Not only in ceramics, but also in other crafts like Kijōka-bashōfu, the Japanese craft of making cloth from the banana fibre, Japanese bamboo weaving, natural dyeing with plant-derived dye or Pit- and Anagama fired pottery. Practices like that have been a significant influence in terms of resourcing mindfully and appreciating the craft you are doing.
In Pottery, the Jōmon period probably had the biggest influence on me. But also modern artists like the queen herself, Lucie Rie, Toshiko Takaezu or Trisha Donnelly.
Tell us about your creative process.
It has a fragmentary character. I do not force the process of creating anymore, so there are times of ‘empty‘ weeks between a first idea and a finished work. Yet when it comes to glazing I am consistent. Creating your own glazes comes with challenges and a lot of experimentation. From the beginning I would create glazes using minerals, sand, shells, wood ash and carbides. In doing that I can create glazes that have a unique texture but on the other hand, reproducing them can be difficult. I call my pieces ‚objects‘ because they have been revoked of their function yet the archetypal shape of the vessel and its symbolism remain intact. Appreciating ceramists who work with wild, raw clay, I would love to harvest my own to have full control of every step of my practice.
How has this pandemic affected your creativity?
A person I know who has been deeply affected by the current pandemic said to me, that everything that is currently happening is actually a reflection of what we are doing to the world. And I agree. I do not see the world changing, I see another symptom of us being disconnected to the world and everything around us. Humans tend to think they are detached from other living beings, nature or even other humans, when indeed our actions create ramifications. If we do not fundamentally change our way of modern thinking, I see it ending badly.
Icons in your opinion?
Ruth Asawa, Jane Elliott and Lucie Rie of course. To name a few.
What does wellbeing mean to you Lisa?
Wellbeing is a cornerstone to mental health, empathy and consequently creativity. I have always been a forest and ocean person, there I find inner peace and I feel comfortable living in solitude. We should listen more to our bodies and when needed, we should at least take a break from what we are doing.
