About:
Kirsten received her BA in Anthropology from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa and graduated with her MFA from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2014.
Her work as a ceramic artist is inspired by the far North. She grew up surrounded by images and objects that depicted these rich histories and narratives. This spurred her to travel and have her own Northern experiences which have informed the foundation of her work. She creates utilitarian pieces that not only contain the food and drink that nourish, but also contain ideas of culture and community.
Process:
I primarily throw on the wheel though I do find myself hand building as well. I love using porcelain for my “liminal” pieces and employ the use of stoneware and wild-sourced materials as well to achieve different aesthetics. For the black and white “liminal” pots, I utilize the process of “Mishima” to inlay the designs into the pots. When the clay is leather hard, I carve and draw the linework, after which, I paint black slip into the lines and then away the excess slip revealing the inlaid design. The video below shows this process.
video by Gabe Spangler