Elizabeth Blake

Elizabeth Blake’s works in stoneware and terracotta are inspired by artforms in nature. Her fascination with the plant kingdom began with afternoons spent drawing in the halls of New York’s Museum of Natural History and a four month field study of the North American deserts in her college years. Characterized by movement, dynamism and sinuous lines, her wall pieces, light sculptures and furniture balance monumentality with graceful resonance. In contrast to the idea of still life, her works are an attempt to render perpetual movement and a sense of flow. Softly swirling designs build a calm energy that draws viewers around her works.

Rather than a painterly approach to glazing, her aesthetic is inspired by the traditional Japanese pottery techniques she studied: the form itself creates a composition that the glaze helps to accentuate. The varied translucence of the glazes on her red terracotta works exploits the rich color of the clay to create a sense of depth and non-uniformity, the more neutral stoneware she employs is an ideal ground from which to expand a palette. Her comprehensive technical expertise is matched by relentless materials research, continually pushing her work in new directions.