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Leah Leitson
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Leah is head of the Art Department and teaches ceramics full time at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. She Received her M.F.A. in ceramics from Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge in 1996 and her undergraduate B.F.A. in ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred, New York, in 1984. Leah completed residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT. and Banff Center for the Arts in Alberta. She is a member of the Piedmont Craftsmen, Inc. and the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Leah has led many workshops throughout the United States, including Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC, Arrowmont School of Crafts, and Gatlinburg, TN and has taught workshops in Italy and Israel. |
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Blue Vase |
ARTIST STATEMENT
I make pottery that brings sculptural expression to functional ceramics. My pottery is wheel-thrown, altered, and assembled. I approach my work in several ways. First, the pieces I create are functional forms. This means they are about touch and communication through use. Second, I consider my pieces to be sculptural objects. The formal relationships of proportion, shape, colour and surfaces within each piece are especially important. I observe and enhance the visual and physical relationships between tow or more forms when they come together in a group or set. Third, I view my pieces as decorative objects intended to visually enhance their surroundings. I imagine my forms to be familiar and comfortable, while engaging and delighting the user. Using a porcelain clay body is an essential element of my artistic work. Porcelain elicits a unique gestural expressiveness that subtly reveals the touch of my hand in the work. The purity and whiteness of porcelain affect the palette of the glaze colours I use, which in turn enhance an aesthetic appreciation of my work. I have always enjoyed making pieces that can be functional forms for everyday use as well as presentation pieces for special occasions. My forms are predominately inspired by eighteenth and nineteenth century decorative arts; I am particularly influenced by utilitarian sliver tableware and Sevres porcelain. My work is also inspired by my reverence for plant forms in nature. My intent is to artistically integrate these influences together with function so my work expresses a single vision.
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