I have been making these oval vases for a while in all different shapes and sizes. The idea for these pieces emerged out of a desire to make a vase that can sit in the middle of a table with flowers in it, yet it's short enough to see your sweetie sitting across the table. Vases are a form that I've battled with. I have high standards for my pieces (vases and others). They must be able to stand on their own, without fulfilling their given purpose. And when they are doing their duty, like holding flowers, it must function flawlessly. My battle with the classic vase form is that I am not interested in it as a stand alone form. I know it's a broad generalization, but it's something that I tackle over and over again, and the form just isn't "strong" enough for my taste. When I push and pull the classic vase form into something that I really like, it is more like a bottle and can't hold more than 1 flower... So I seem to end up venturing into vase forms that are unconventional.
And since I like things that are unconventional, I am doing a show this much that is just that...unconventional.
Haus (a wonderful ceramics gallery in Chicago) has coordinated this show for Chicago Artist's Month (which is October). The tables at
Anteprima, a fantastic Italian restaurant in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood have been filled with my oval vases. The vases have been filled by
Sunburst Flowers, another Andersonville neighborhood business. I love all the collaboration!
The above image is of one of the beautiful arrangements for the show. The below image is of some of my platters at the restaurant. When Anteprima was opening, I was commissioned to make these platters.
