November 2, 2015 | Posted in:Vellum News

Producing beautifully made ceramic objects with a twist is Seattle artist Patty Warashina. Her ceramic figures, reference everything from Picasso’s cubist period to Tim Burton’s Claymation characters. In doing so, they create a narrative which balances both the real and imagined. It recalls biblical stories and old fairy tales conjuring witches and demons. There is an Asian influence, but only by default as the artist happens to be of that heritage. It acts out mainly as a sublet for human reflection and the moments which are both significant and mundane. There is a delicacy in her rendering which presents a type of sensitivity which is attractive. Whereas ceramics is mainly considered a decorative art, when fine artists use the material it becomes a playing ground for new interpretations. In this day and age of super conductor technology, it’s always nice to find people using analog materials that have been used for centuries in new ways. Another example is a brand of paint that is mixed to resemble old oil colors from the Renaissance. In that scenario the user is still required to put a picture together, but discloses modern technological advances. Here Warashina uses an old method to create objects that allow you to wallow away time gazing at their timeless and endearing odd shaped beauty.