27/07/2012

Ceramics by Lilith Rockett

I’m not sure how we’ve not posted up Lilith Rockett’s work before, I’ve come across many ceramicists over the years, albeit each one having a slightly different flavour, but I’ve never seen such a complete collection as Lilith’s. She works primarily in porcelain which seems to be a massive attraction for me as a material, I love the translucency, fluidity, and also the soft look of the finished piece. Some people may see it as bland or rather normal, but I have great respect for all the little details and the stripped down approach, to me they look absolutely stunning. Lilith actually produces each one of these by hand on a potter’s wheel, so as you can imagine they all have individual discrepancies that give the minimal work that much needed character when viewed up close. I think a good example of this is the shot below of six different vases which funnel upwards, they’ve got a real simplicity about them and an abundance of character at the same time, they’re not dull in anyway and grouped together you can see all the little quirky elements about them. Fascinating to say the least.

Moving onto Lilith herself she actually resides in Portland, Oregon and began her career in 2002 while living in Los Angeles. Shortly after beginning to work as a professional potter, she opened a gallery in LA specialising in functional ceramics which looked to represent artists, designers, and studio potters, ranging from household names to local talent. In 2007, she decided to close the gallery in order to focus on producing solely her own work, moving to Portland to get closer to her family and enjoy the rich creative environment around the area. From her studio she makes for many different shops and individuals, most notably Analogue Life in Japan, I think this a great achievement in my opinion and shows how worldwide her work actually is. I also think it’s great that all of her objects are intended for use in a domestic setting, often more sculptural ceramics can be quite frustrating as they have no intended purpose apart from pure expression. When you can match these two together elements together you’ve definitely got something of substance, Lilith does this through her architectural experimentation in form, she’s testing the boundaries of conformity in my opinion.

Well I hope you enjoy the different pieces that I’ve collected, these were my favourite from the bunch but there are many more on her portfolio website. She’s got a massive selection of containers, lighting and tableware, it’s pretty mind boggling to be honest. I’m in awe, I hope you are too.

www.lilithrockett.com