Lithic by Yasha Butler

Previously I gave my opinion on the differences between art and design, and have talked quite extensively on the so called ‘middle ground’. Many of the best creatives dabbled in both areas to get the most out of their creative life, and to be honest their life in general. One individual I’ve been admiring is Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brancusi, I’ve found myself sketching his drawings to get a better feel for his mindset when producing the finished works that so many now adore. Lets just say his eye for form is second to none, but he did use a mixture of precious materials like marble and bronze, so it’s quite far removed from what I’ve explored on a personal level, to date anyway.

As ceramics is quite close to my heart, I’ve been producing my own works for a few years now, sculptural forms with clay have just started to take a foothold. Maybe it’s the warmth of the material that makes it a perfect modelling material, or just the fact that it’s very basic material dug from the ground. Yasha Butler for example is a fantastic maker who’s sculptured this brilliant series titled Lithic. The concept behind it is linked to timeless forms as if they’ve been buried for generations, archaic vessels waiting to be found. I like this idea as it takes an approach and shapes the aesthetic goal around it, which is a new way of making altogether.

Yasha’s work has been exhibited in many galleries across the United States, formerly she owned a studio in Brooklyn, New York before moving to Barcelona, Spain. Since 2011 she splits her time between a studio just outside the city of Barcelona and one on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, where she was born and raised. Yasha hopes to seduce with her works, with the curves and slopes of the vessels to pull you into a moment of silent contemplation. We can see this here in the Lithic series, although the walls are quite rough in texture the shapes are very organic, which is a nice juxtaposition. To see more like this why not head over to the Yasha’s website where she has other works on show as well.

yashabutler.com

BECOME A PART OF OUR DESIGN JOURNEY

Special discounts on OEN Shops curated collection

• Exclusive behind-the-scenes content
• Early access to content from our OEN publication
• Deep dive into design concepts
• Curated guides to the worlds top art and design cities