I make ceramic sculptures as cultural devices for meaning-making, specifically focusing on themes of ecology and spiritual inquiry. My work often references sacred sites and objects as an entry point for questioning dominant paradigms while investigating new ways of seeing. Through ritual use and performance, I engage the work as a testing ground for exploring otherwise intangible or ineffable experiences.
Drawn to its primordial nature, I am interested in clay as a bridge between the present moment and geologic time, the known and unknown. When I press my hands into wet clay, it responds in unexpected ways, opening a tactile dialogue between myself and mystery. Methodically pinching, I leave rhythmic patterns with my fingers that indicate my presence and the passing of time. These patterns recall familiar natural forms: bones, shells and petals, evoking the sense of inherent interconnection I feel while making the work.
Informed by my immediate environment, my work is often in response to local ecological systems. Sometimes this is through the use of wild clays, foraged materials or through direct encounters with animals and plants. Privileging the aesthetics of locality, my practice nurtures intentional processes and a deep connection to place.
Grace Potter (b. 1996, Knoxville, TN) is an artist primarily working with clay based in Mendocino, CA. Grace received her BFA in Ceramics with minors in Art History and Anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder (2018). In addition to an active studio practice, she works as the ceramic technician for Mendocino Community College. Grace is the Marketing Director for the Mendocino Art Center and teaches workshops out of her home studio as well as in the surrounding area.