Mirthful Angel Pottery
Marlene’s signature vases are meant to exalt the art of the potter. Serafine Gaudio translates from Italian: “mirthful angel,” thus the name of her studio. Her workshop is her creative sanctuary where a lump of clay is transformed into a beautiful ceramic object, utilitarian or sculptural. She employs various hand-building and wheel-throwing techniques to create one-of-a-kind ceramic vessels. She strives to express an aesthetic quality of form, incorporate complimentary glazes and exercise qualitative craftsmanship.
Inspired by classical design and the earthen/human vessel metaphor, each “bodily” aspect (lip, neck, shoulder, belly, foot) of my signature vase is articulated and in optimum proportion, with the fit of surface (skin) and structural form (bones). A sense of order, wholeness, and beauty is evoked by the harmonious relationship of the parts. The vessel is complete, yet it remains open and receptive. My pottery studio is my sanctuary where I seek to honor my vocation. I work chiefly in the medium of high-fired glazed stoneware applying wheel throwing and hand-building skills to one-of-a-kind pieces. I am a proponent of the tenet “form is meaning.” I have been inspired by reflecting on ideas of the creative process as having three layers: the labor, the craft, and the elevation. I know that visual arts communicate broad human values and assist in knowing oneself. By working in synchrony of hand/head/heart/breath and spirit, I aspire to create pieces that help to center the viewer and invite aesthetic experience.
Marlene fires her mirthful angels in her front-loading Olympic FL20E kiln. The FL20E’s inside dimensions of 28” wide x 28” deep x 45” high, 20 cubic feet, provides ample room to fire taller pieces and a range of ware with maximum firing temperatures to 2350°F/Cone 10. Marlene’s pottery studio is her sanctuary where she seeks to honor her vocation. She works chiefly in the medium of high-fired glazed stoneware and is a proponent of the tenet “form is meaning.”
Mirthful Angel Pottery Marlene’s signature vases are meant to exalt the art of the potter. Serafine Gaudio translates from Italian: “mirthful angel,” thus the name of her studio. Her workshop … Read More ›