16" Kala Stein Original Ikebana Suiban

Kala Stein Original Ikebana Suiban

Exquisite one of a kind Ikebana Suiban. I look far and wide to find artist's to custom design unique pottery for Ikebana and display. I am happy to say that I have found one and she has taken the process to its highest degree. After spending some time with her, I believe this artist puts a part of her soul in each pot.

Outside Dimensions: 16" x 7 1/8" x 5" deep

Inside Dimensions: 6" x 5" x 1/14" deep

About the Potter

Kala Stein / Artist Statement & Resume

In my work I aim for a simple complexity that is celebrated and beautiful. One after another I work to develop my pieces into more graceful, simplified, and abstracted vessel forms. I feel relief by creating objects austere and intimate. They are a break from the clutter and excessiveness that is inherent to our spaces and surroundings. In our society we generally have more than enough; spaces are filled, overfilled, stacked, and piled. On the contrary my pieces are stacked to offer a contemplative space. They are organized in a way I believe serene and gentle, simplified as not to be overwhelming. In my own way I hope to achieve what Garth Clark speaks of in Warren McKenzieﾒs work, ﾓThis kind of power comes from subtraction, from removing everything that is extraneous until one is left with what can only be described as an essence.ﾔ

My work evolves from the process of slip casting multiples, altering, refining, and arranging. My casting body allows for a great deal of manipulation outside the mold, although I primarily cut, shave, and rasp the forms into simple, graceful variations. The vast possibilities in line, form, and gesture are explored in the window of soft to leather hard. Cut, undulating lines give energy to the module-like base forms changing them from bulky masses into dimensional vessels. It is not until the pieces are glazed that they are arranged into infinite scenarios, sculptural compositions, what I call tabletop sculptures. These arrangements allow for the forms to interact within a defined space, promoting a relationship to take place, transforming them from individual vessels into a sculptural set.

The arrangements are harmonious compositions balancing geometric with organic. The quite presence of color or muted texture specifies parts of a whole. The goal is an aesthetically interesting coexistence of line, form, space, and color. Presentation is paramount; often a unifying base or simple tray is used as a platform for forms to interact in or upon. The poetics of these arrangements speak of the balance, contrast, and harmony found in the natural world. Further inspired by the natural world my forms and surfaces suggest the essence of shells, water, landscapes, or the undulating flight path of a songbird.

Through subtleties in form and glaze surfaces I intend to lure the viewer closer to the pieces. As the scale may imply, I encourage that they are approached as functional objects. Now engaged, the viewer becomes the user and is encouraged to interact with the pieces as they are intended to be unstacked, disassembled, assembled and rearranged. This does not destroy the arrangement, but transforms it into another realm of being- into the intimate realm of functionality and physical interaction.

As a child growing up outdoors I was constantly compelled to create. Materials were endless as I used things I found. I made miniature fences from sticks lashed together with grass and piled rocks into cairns decorated with flowers and pinecones. Continuously, I learn how the earth offers not only raw material but also mysterious beauty. In my mind a walk in the woods or the finding of an unusual stone offers an opening for thought and grounds to slow down and appreciate what the moment, or object, has to offer. Parallel in thinking, I hope that my work can offer similar opportunities for contemplation, a calm in the midst of our bustling world. To provide a visual resting place for thoughts beyond the piece itself- the memory of a place visited, the suggestion of a water-polished stone, the outline of a horseﾒs jaw, or the texture of a weathered antler. As I sit with hand made objects or organic findings time reveals things that at first go unseen. The mystery is stimulating and feeds my interest to continue creating, to contemplate the old, new, and the journey in between.