18/09/2012

Objects by Ceramic Studio Vitrified

It’s always a joy discovering new companies who have the same aesthetic as us, although you’d think we would be into anything ‘minimal’ or ‘modern’ that’s not really the case. It’s a lot more complicated than that and we seem to be getting very particular about the substance behind a project or business. What gets me is the character and quirkiness of an object, for example a lot of the craft stuff that I’ve been showcasing lately has the makers tool marks on it which is a really nice touch and brings you closer to the individual who made it.

Today I thought I’d bring across the work of ceramic studio Vitrified, a small home based ceramics studio located in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 2011 with all the items being handmade and designed by Shelley Martin, basically it’s an alternative to high volume mass produced studios that churn out the same work over and over again. Shelley uses a mixture of coloured stoneware and porcelain from the Northwest, this means she can create great texture in her work, when you look up close you see little marks and blemishes which add massively to the attraction in my opinion.

Shelley’s story is quite an interesting one since her path into clay originated with her studying at the architecture school at Virginia Tech, she studied in the ceramics department. The study was focused towards architects and industrial designers learning about form and function in clay, as you can see this has obviously rubbed off on Shelley since her aesthetic is situated around this ideology. I’ve selected some products that really grabbed my attention, all of these are available on her website which you can find linked below. It has always been a dream of Shelley’s to have her own ceramics studio so she’s currently taking time away from architecture to pursue the dream and to see where it takes her, why not head that way to show your support.

www.vitrifiedstudio.com