Susan O'Brien

Teapot

Artist Donation

8"H 7"W 4.5"L

Susan O'Brien Artist Biography

O'Brien is a potter. Her work is an amalgamation of past and present, informed by the history and evolution of functional wares and dining rituals. She writes, "My work incorporates decoration, ornamentation, and a playful sense of humor within the context of function. Informed by the history and evolution of dining wares and rituals, my pots expresses nostalgia for both communal celebration and virtuosity in craftsmanship. Sources such as eighteenth-century silver, Faberge' eggs, architecture, and European ceramics are appropriated and exaggerated with subtle irreverence. Referencing the female form, I combine various layers of textural and decorative information by weaving beautiful and sometimes repulsive elements. Working from the framework of the eighteenth-century corset, for example, I combine textures of lace and/or its inverse, lizard skin. This juxtaposition of surfaces and forms simultaneously evokes the urge to approach, and to recoil. Similarly, I employ a subtle semi-translucent satin matte glaze palette, inviting touch as skin or lingerie would. The very nature of functional ceramics is to be viewed and interacted with through touch and use, and is situated within the realm of domesticity. I find the intimate dialogue- from maker, to form, to viewer- vastly intriguing. The fact that my work is intended for the dining room opens the arena to formal interaction, while elements of "femaleness" are rendered sublime. Paradoxically, I invite the viewer to interact with unorthodox textures and anatomy in a public setting, which may be more "appropriate" for the bedroom. My work is an amalgamation of classical form and the unexpected. Metaphorical interwovenlayers of humor, exaggeration, and subtle sarcasm allow me to be somewhat of "The Bad Girl in the Dining Room" while expressing my vision of contemporary decorative functional ceramics."

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