Elizabeth Shriver

https://www.elizabethshriverceramics.com/
https://www.instagram.com/shriver.elizabeth/

I am a native Iowan and a 1987 graduate of the University of Iowa. My interest in art began during my childhood, when I often spent my free time painting and drawing. My focus turned to clay in 1985, when my I took my first course at the University of Iowa Ceramics Department. I became fascinated with the malleable properties of clay, and the sculptural possibilities inherent in the medium. Though not an art major, my newfound interest compelled me to complete all four semesters of undergraduate studio ceramics.

My love of ceramics has continued throughout my adult life, though for many years I had little time to devote to clay, particularly when my four children were very young. Many decades ago, I set up a home studio where I could conveniently hone my skills and experiment with new forms. I gradually built a collection of work, and in recent years I have had my ceramics in several galleries, and I have participated in both solo and group exhibitions throughout the USA.

I enjoy creating organic vessels and sculptures in clay, all of which are inspired by different elements of the natural world. I am particularly interested in the delicate beauty of undulating corals and undersea life, which I find more precious as they are threatened by pollution and climate change.

My ceramics are constructed out of stoneware clay without the use of a potter’s wheel. I typically combine hand-building methods, and I construct my vessels with coils that I alter and refine by pinching and adding fins which I then texture with my homemade bisque-fired tools.

I deliberately avoid using glaze on the outside of these vessels, because I prefer the natural, earthy color of the clay to come through in the finished piece. Stains, colored slip and a little glaze are used sparingly on my work.

I fire my ceramics in a solar-powered electric kiln, and the most exciting part of the process is the opening of the kiln, when each finished piece is revealed. I consider my work successful if it entices the viewer to peer inside and examine the form with hands as well as eyes.