Artist's Statement - Judith T. Duff

I will try to speak of the beauty of shapes… They are not beautiful for any particular reason or purpose, as other things are, but are eternally and by their very nature beautiful and give a pleasure of their own quite free from the itch of desire…
                                                         Socrates ~ in the Philebus of Plato



Since 1991, when I became a full time studio potter, I have watched my ideas come to life through my work with clay. My pottery begins as wheel thrown and hand-built forms that are altered in various ways to make each pot distinctive and unique. Most pots are wood fired in either my Train kiln or Japanese style anagama to achieve a variety of natural ash and shino-glazed surfaces. The organic shapes and surfaces of my compositions are strongly influenced by my degrees in biology and painting.

My goal as a potter is to communicate my vision through the strength of the form. I work to create beautiful, functional pieces while seeking individual avenues for self-expression. I am not afraid of failure and I experiment continually with new ideas. Always growing through change, I value the unique and the unusual.

I want my creations to be used and enjoyed daily. As someone cradles a tea bowl in their hands or arranges food on a hand thrown platter or creates a flower arrangement in a vase with a natural ash surface, I like to think that I touch them in some way. I hope they are encouraged to rejoice in the world around them and to see that world imaged and celebrated in the shape of a simple pot.