Collection: Kate Marotz - Featured Artist

Kate grew up in Marshfield, Wisconsin before attending UW-Stout where she earned a BFA with an emphasis in Ceramics. Post graduation, she switched from throwing to hand building and from porcelain to stoneware. Kate currently lives in Marshfield, WI where she shares a studio with her spouse. Her pinch pots combine sculptural qualities with functional objects and preserves the handbuilding process on the finished terra sigillata surfaces. Seed pods, chrysalides, shells, and other vessels found in nature provide inspiration for these objects.

Artist Statement:

I make pinched stoneware objects that combine sculptural qualities with functional ware. This is one of the important dichotomies that influence this work and may therefore make the forms both familiar and unfamiliar to the user, bringing genuine interest to the details of daily life through their use. The process used to create each object increases the tactile quality and makes the work approachable and a little playful. Tension is created by handles compressing forms or the visual weight of one layer pressing down on another. The organic forms are inspired by chrysalides, shells, seed pods, and other natural vessels. Every vantage point of each piece is different, inviting the user to handle and investigate every object. Some pieces are rather tame, while others verge on precarious.

Modern design influences the final terra sigillata surface that wraps around layers and connects the interior to the exterior. Subtle patterns are only visible upon close inspection, while speckling is reminiscent of concrete or stone. 

The objects are both natural and man-made, functional and sculptural, familiar and unfamiliar.

Find Kate's Artaxis page: https://artaxis.org/artist/kate-marotz/

Find Kate on Instagram: kate.marotz

** Kate Marotz's Artaxis Shop has ended. You can find more work available for sale by visiting the other Featured Artist collections HERE