Ally Mitchell

The work I create with porcelain is guided by an affinity for process. I gather inspiration from flowers, the human figure, and historical pottery like Coalbrookdale porcelain. Fragility and softness both in form and material are ideas I continue to circle back to. I think about the delicate nature of flowers and their natural decay while working with porcelain, which begins soft and malleable but transforms into something rigid and permanent. Transformation is an aspect of material that both propels and informs me as an artist.

I investigate the intimacy of my work, how decisions I invest into its making, details like the thickness of the rim, weight, color become reflections in the experiential gains of its use. I focus on how each piece meets the table. Rather than a conventional foot, the overall feeling of delicacy extends with a soft, delicate base. I polish the underside to enhance the finished feel throughout the work which becomes a necessary detail when using a piece and holding it in one's hand.

The way the work exists in the home as objects, through function, ornament, and the means by which these two intertwine are concepts that drive my practice forward. In display, I find joy in playing with shape, juxtaposing form, and exploring ways pieces stack together to curate a collection of things that become one cohesive body. I utilize light pastel colors, pinks, greens, purples, and whites, in glazes produced from rare earth elements such as neodymium, praseodymium, and erbium. I explore my thoughts and process through making connections between subconscious decisions I make while creating and aspects about myself and my personality. Through process, I am able to investigate and comprehend both myself and the world around me.