Kristen Kieffer

Though some of my elegant vessels are completely hand-built from slabs, most begin on the potter’s wheel. All are softly altered, treating the porcelain more like fabric than clay. I use a variety of surface decoration techniques, including stamping (with stamps I both design and make), slip-trailing, slip-sponging, and more to accent and define the forms. All of my work is fired in an electric kiln with glazes and colors I chose and developed. My influences range from 18th-century silver service pieces to Elizabethan and couture clothing, and from Art Nouveau illustration to cake fondant and wallpaper. Each of my Victorian modern pots has its own unique building process, and while I work in series, each piece is truly one-of-a-kind, and made solely by me from beginning to end.