Art Chowder January | February 2018, Issue 13 | Page 50

field
Celeste Hatfield –
junior, math major,
from Sherwood OR
My interest in ceramics began in high
school. I want to keep art in my life
by minoring in Fine Arts. At Gonzaga,
I started on the potter’s wheel and
immediately fell in love with the abili-
ty to create symmetry and evenness. I
get a lot of pleasure in creating some-
thing that I can use or that I can gift to
others. The long process of working
with clay is so satisfying—from
throwing the object on the wheel, to
trimming, to taking a piece out of a
mold, to pulling a completed piece
from the kiln—it’s all worth the wait!
I have always had a passion for art
and making things. Some of this
stems from my dad and grandpa, who
were both artistic. Ceramics allows
me to directly share what I love
with other people. I enjoy making
something functional that people will
use every day—to eat or drink from
or for flower display. I also believe
that ceramics, or any type of art, is
a necessary supplement for students
when learning other subjects.
There is a definite overlap between
ceramics and other subjects, espe-
cially math and chemistry. Math
influences my work; my current “big”
project is making a ceramic Rubik’s
Cube using slip cast molds. I’ve
always loved figuring out how things
work—taking them apart and putting
them back together. I also really enjoy
bright colors and fun patterns, which I
explore by mixing glazes and working
with colored clay. The versatility of
clay allows me to explore and con-
stantly learn new techniques.
Most of my pieces are thrown on
the wheel, with the exception of the
“Converse shoe mugs” that I hand-
build. Recently, I’ve been working
with plaster molds and slip cast
pieces. I also color clay and create
agateware. I plan to continue devel-
oping these techniques by making
hand-built agateware, possibly using a
press mold.
I think in today’s world, where much
is digitized and processed, people are
more likely to appreciate something
handmade and unique. I believe a
beautifully crafted item means more
to people because they see the effort
that went into its making.
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
Photo by Elizabeth Kamrowski