Making Connections Through Functional Design

I make ceramic art for people to use. Although there is much debate about whether or not functional work is art, I strongly believe that it is art. It takes the same skill, the same foresight, the same need for an artistic vision, but ends up in somebody\u27s hands rather than untouchable in a gallery. I feel so fulfilled when my work becomes a part of everyday life. The act of using a mug or a bowl made by hand in a daily routine connects the user and the artist regardless of physical distance or relationship. This has become especially clear to me during the COVID-19 pandemic as physical touch has become so removed from our society. Through functional art, people can be deeply connected in many ways whether or not they are in the same physical space. I created sets of matching mugs with a pouring vessel (a jug or a pitcher) to aid in this communal act of drinking together. Although mugs can be used on their own, when a drink is poured from a communal vessel it connects the people drinking even further while still being able to have their own space, especially during the pandemic. The act of drinking from a mug is so intimate; placing lips to a ceramic rim, drinking the morning tea or coffee, and holding it in between hands. Every part becomes art in itself, and it brings me so much joy to be involved in it as the artist