Laura Ashley

Bio

Laura Ashley is currently an Assistant Professor of Art at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO. She received her MFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. She was invited to be a resident artist at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia and worked as an art teacher for the Clay Mobile, a non-profit art outreach program. She is the former Executive Director of the Gumtree Museum of Art in Tupelo, MS.

Artist Statement

I work in high-fire porcelain, drawn to its inherent strength and its potential visual delicacy that I exploit with pinches and pulls with my fingers during its soft state. I throw full-bellied, generous functional forms inspired by ancient Greek pottery, with interiors that feel open like an inhaled breath. The “personality” and upright posture of my compound forms are usually echoed in added handles and finials that speak to the intended celebratory and decorative functions these vessels are meant to fulfill. The surfaces are tight and precise, a matrix for subtle glaze and wax resist patterns to unfold. In the interplay of space, form, and pattern, I seek a balance between refinement and expression, offering pieces that carry beauty into the everyday and hold it there, gently.

Exhibitions