Elisabeth Kley
My first encounter with Elisabeth Kley’s work was this image of her Yellow Lobed Bottle. It’s been a favorite to admire and reference since 2012, along with some of her current work in black and white.
“The ceramics are hand-built from coils scraped smooth, low-fired with wax resist and sgraffito decoration using homemade underglazes, and then re-fired with homemade glazes.”
WHY I LOVE KLEY’S WORK:
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The white underglaze provides a bright surface for colors to pop and it contrasts nicely with the black accents.
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Handbuilt, which shows the natural texture of the clay and the hand of its maker. A generously round vase with a long bottle neck to draw you upward, inward and back around.
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A centered and repeating “far cultural” Islamic-style motif of hand-painted color blocks detailed with black flower buds and geometric shapes.
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Various techniques in use including Handbuilding, Coiling, Sgraffito, and Majolica.
Coil Pot
The process of rolling out clay into long “ropes” and then coiling and compressing the clay ropes into vessels of all shapes and sizes.
Wax Resist
Applying liquid or solid wax to the surface of bisqued clay to create a resist design when glaze is applied.
Sgraffito
Applying several layers of slip or underglaze paint to the leatherhard surface of a clay pot and then scraping away to reveal the clay beneath.
Kley’s current palette of black and white applied to more complex forms is exciting to see as a fellow New Yorker. This water feature from the Downtown 2021 show at La MaMa Galleria, New York, NY is perfect in its balance of color, pattern, form and function.
If you’re into pottery, you’ve probably come across ancient vessels crafted by the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. The motifs of ancient Egyptian pottery are particularly unique in their elaborate geometric patterns and illustrations of lotus flowers and other elements of nature. Kley’s current work is indicative of this ancient art and I love it.
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