Ted Saupe

In some ways it’s a strange marriage of influences, in other ways it makes sense. I am most directly interested in the utilitarian pottery of the southeastern United States from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the country pottery of Oribe, Japan. Both styles of pottery were made for the storage and serving of food. Both were fairly simply made with minor decoration and glazing. And both were made in a spirit of directness and respect for the material and the process. I have always loved these pots from different cultures and am really trying to capture some of the freshness and strengths of these two influences.

My work is always autobiographical whether I am working figuratively or architecturally, or even when making vessels. It is always about history and/or age, and always tells a story, a personal narrative. I rely on memory, free association, and daily life events as my subject matter. Most recently my children have been a big part of the picture. Prior to that a trip to Crete to study Minoan archeology was my source of inspiration.