Lisa York

Functional ceramics fill and enrich my daily life. Whether setting a table, greeting the morning with a favorite mug, or prepping a special recipe to be served on a distinctive platter, I find that handmade objects evoke memories with use. My kitchen cupboards are filled with cherished ceramics—many made by friends, mentors, and myself. When I use my ceramics it brings back memories with these people I love and admire.

The bold line, circle designs and varied surfaces, of my ceramics instigate the desire to touch, to partake in the work and to see them from every angle. Maybe even spilling tea as you look at the foot of a tea bowl. I draw inspiration for these designs from the basic geometric textiles I fell in love with during my travels, especially in Guatemala and Tanzania, and from regular time outdoors. In addition, functional ceramics can contribute to people’s daily routines and share in their cherished memories.

-- Lisa York

Working primarily with porcelain forms finished in the soda kiln, Lisa York creates ceramics for special occasion and daily use. The varied surfaces, line, and circle patterns on the work are inspired from travel and time out doors.

Currently, York is an instructor, gallery director, and ceramic technician at Hood College. She studied art at University of North Dakota, Hood College, Houghton College, and apprenticed with Kevin Crowe at Tye River Pottery. She was an artist-in-residence at the Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute in Jingdezhen, China and at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemet, Hungary. In Tanzania, she started a ceramics program at of Neema Crafts, an organization that trains people with disabilities to become skilled artisans. Likewise, she worked with a similar program in Chichi, Guatemala for a short-term project.

Her functional ceramics, have been exhibited nationally and internationally, and are represented in collections in the Plain Arts Museum and numerous Universities.