Nikki Mizak

I create functional pottery that I hope brings happiness, beauty, and something special to everyday life. I enjoy those quiet moments in the morning before the kids are awake and the world starts to stir. I like to make pottery that fills those moments with discovery and a little touch of luxury, whether it's running my fingers over the slip-trailed lines on a detailed mug or admiring the strokes on a hand-painted pitcher for pouring syrup on French toast. Although on the surface it may seem like I feature animals because they are "cute", I feature them in order to honor them. Farm animals like chickens are a large portion of my work because I want to showcase a side of them that many people don't see. Chicken trucks packed from top to bottom with dirty, white birds drive past my house every day, and the sadness lingers longer than the odor. I want to show that animals like these chickens are more than ingredients tightly packed in plastic and polystyrene foam. I enjoy trying to capture their personalities, their curious yet judgmental eyes, and the way their beautiful feathers beg to be painted.