Photos by Caitlin Abrams
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Ashley Brazil’s quirky-modern-meets-old-world-inspired line of ceramics represents a lifetime of learning and curiosities.
“When you first start in ceramics, you’re just kind of throwing stuff at a wall,” says the Oregon native, who studied painting and art history at Portland State University before moving to Minnesota to study ceramics at the U of M. “It’s hard to have a unique perspective right away. But because I had studied other forms of art, my perspective is a cumulation of all those interests.”
Her vases, for instance, take on textures and shapes reminiscent of ancient Greek vessels; her glaze colorways are inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s desert paintings and Agnes Pelton’s sunsets. And while her candelabras and pedestal dishes may look like something straight out of Beauty and the Beast or works behind glass at Mia, Brazil’s tactile approach shows these pieces, though inspired by centuries of artists, are entirely her own.
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“My hand is my favorite tool,” she says. “You can see exactly where my thumb drags through the clay to make a flower at the top of a chamber stick or the texture at the base of a candelabra. It’s just such a slow, meditative process.”
Brazil’s vessels were featured in the Walker Art Center’s Idea House 3 last year—first as display and then for purchase. “They wanted to have a couple of artists that blended useful objects for the home with design—which is the concept for the store—but at an approachable price,” she says. “It was a great fit since I like to think of my pieces as small sculptures.”
More of Brazil’s Walker collection can be found at Northeast’s Lundeen jewelry, in the Casket Arts Building (studio LL14), or on her website. ashley-brazil.com; @ashleybrazilceramics
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