Liz Lurie

Growing up, I was captivated by a cluttered, object rich environment. My parents were passionate collectors of antiques, furniture, prints, old tools, and pottery. They all contributed to the making of a warm, texture rich atmosphere. The tools were of special interest to me. Worn with use and purpose, these objects had a weight, a balance and an imagined story that I was drawn to. The old world prints they had collected, evoked an atmosphere of melancholy which slowed me down and drew me in. All of these objects connected me to other worlds making my world larger.

Central to my work is the desire to communicate a strong sense of muscular physicality, harmony and a quiet beauty which reveals itself slowly. I am interested in the subtle changes in form that happen over time, a slightly different angle, a lowering of volume, or an addition of an appendage. These nuanced variations give rise to the evolution of form.

Subjecting my work to the irregularities of the wood kiln yields a surface that suggests age and a passage of time. The wood kiln makes a layered history to the surface, softening information and hinting at what may or may not be underneath.

I find deep satisfaction in working within the limits of function. For me, there is freedom in the structure that use provides. It is always my grounding starting point. There is directness to their intention as they fulfill their lives on counters, in cupboards and dish racks.

It is my hope through form, texture, and color that my work might provide a moment of slowness, comfort and intrigue and provide nourishment whether they are empty or full.

— Liz Lurie

Liz Lurie has been a studio potter for twenty years. She was introduced to ceramics in Mikal Zakin’s classroom at Sarah Lawrence College. After graduating with a concentration in dance and ceramics, she pursued her interest in pottery full-time when she left her native Manhattan to become a member of a wood-fired kiln collective in rural Georgia.

After setting up studios and building wood-kilns in both Dallas, TX. and Greene NY., Lurie established a studio outside of Chittenango, NY., where she teaches community classes and maintains a showroom.

Lurie’s work has been exhibited nationally, most notably at AKAR, Trax Gallery, The Signature Shop, Red Lodge Ceramic Center and the Harvey Meadows Gallery. Most recently, she was invited to participate at the Everson Museum of Art Bi-annual show,”Kindred Beasts”, and was asked to participate at the Weisman Museum of Art in 2017, in the “St. Croix Valley Potters Tour 25th Anniversary Exhibition”.

Lurie has been a visiting artist and workshop leader at many institutions. Most recently she will be co-teaching a workshop with Peter Beasecker at Anderson Ranch in New Hope, Jamaica. She has taught or been a visiting artist at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, University of Missouri Columbia, University of North Texas and the Chautauqua Institution. Her work has been published in Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics Technical, Studio Potter and the Log Book. Lurie is co-founder of the Dallas Pottery Invitational, which will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary in 2017.