2022
Petaled Watering Can
North Carolina Clay
11”x 21”x 8”
2022
Cone 9, gas fired, reduction cooled, ceramic watering can with contrasting orange, slipped spots over a rich, black body. The white and red clay dusted water catcher attaches to a scalloped handle. Repeated scalloped components such as the foot, rim, spout head, and handle unify the form and create movement.
Petal Pitcher with Polka Dots
North Carolina Clay
11”x9”x6.5”
2022
Cone 9, gas fired, reduction cooled, ceramic pitcher with dark glazed polka dots over a light brown clay. Varying textures distinguish the foot from the sides of the handle, to the spout of the pitcher, emphasizing change in plane and form. Orange slip accentuates these textures by sticking behind in the cracks and layering behind the glaze components.
Fat Handled Basket
North Carolina Clay
16”x18”x15”
2022
Cone 9, gas fired, reduction cooled, ceramic serving basket with large scalloped handle slipped orange to reveal the earthy, gritty texture. Outlined in white glaze, the handle accents the inside and the foot of the basket. Thin line and repetition of white ties the design elements together, and the scalloped cut rim, foot, and handle further help unify the form.
Funky Flower Basket
North Carolina Clay
13.5” x 9” x 6”
2022
Cone 9, gas fired, reduction cooled, ceramic flower vase elevated with a scalloped handle reaching upwards. Contrasting in color, the slip brushed over the handle compliments the body of the darkly-hued vase and an orange slip reverses a similar gesture to compliment the handle. Cut flower shapes with hollowed out centers line the scalloped rim of the vase and showcase a foamy clay on the inside and outside of this decorative element.
Petal Handle Mug No. 1
North Carolina Clay
4.5”x 5”x 3.5”
2022
Cone 9, gas fired, reduction cooled, ceramic mug dipped in red slip and glazed gray. Thin white lines distinguish the sides of the handle by introducing a new pattern. This thin white line is then repeated around the rim of the mug – including a dip to mirror the fingerprint marks from glaze and slip application. With walls of the form faceted, the linear action repeating around the form is mimicked in the white lines covering the scalloped handle.
Reversed Kitchen Study No.1
North Carolina Clay
1.5” x 7.75” x 7.75”
2022
Cone 9, gas fired, reduction cooled, small ceramic plate with a slip transferred black and white line drawing depicting the kitchen of college apartment. Through recollection, architectural details are skewed, but the memories remain. Juxtaposition of the utilitarian use with the illustrated image provides a sense of irony and this application of imagery is recently being explored.
Reversed Kitchen Study No.3
North Carolina Clay
1.5” x 5.5” x 5.5”
2022
Cone 9, gas fired, reduction cooled, small ceramic plate with a slip transferred black and white line drawing depicting the kitchen from my childhood home. Similar to Reversed Kitchen Study No. 1, this plate accentuates ideas of distorted memory. Contrasting clay colors between these two works distinguishes one kitchen/memory from another.
Scalloped Fruit Basket
North Carolina Clay
5” x 9”x 9”
2022
Cone 10, salt fired, ceramic fruit bowl that utilizes pattern and repetition, to manipulate form. The scalloped rim mirrors the foot of this fruit bowl and assimilates the patterns cut throughout the middle. By drawing inspiration from the white circle glazed gesture before the form was crafted, the circle shape is cut in half and inverted to generate positive and negative shapes, thus tying the visual cues together.
Orange Jar
North Carolina Clay
7”x5”x5”
2022
Cone 9, gas fired, reduction cooled, ceramic jar with orange slip revealing the texture of the carved vessel beneath the varying surfaces. Repetition reflects in these carvings which are sandwiched between a scalloped rim and foot. Dark clay pops through the vibrant orange, thus creating variety in the color palette.
Winged Creature
North Carolina Clay
13”x 6.5”x 6.5”
2022
Cone 9, gas fired, reduction cooled, ceramic flower face faceted and carved – continuing a circular motion. The carvings are exaggerated by a thin white glaze outlining the curves. Three handles complimented with the same thin white line are attached to the form, dividing it in three. Dusted on the side with white clay, the dark form resembles a gradient between opposite sides of the color palette.
2020-2021
Paige’s Ketchup Cup
Single fire, cone 6 oxidation, thrown/handbuilt pitcher
13”x8”x5” — 2021
Neutral colored, ceramic pitcher with bird-like spout, wavy rim, and large curvy handle. This form was generated from line drawings of my sister (Paige) and has an abstracted painterly quality to the glaze application.
Eleda’s Shoulder
Cone 10 reduction, thrown (handbuilt handles), set of mugs with brushed baking soda mixture
5”x5.5”x3.5” (each) — 2020
Two ceramic mugs with striking orange flashing and contrasting glossy grey glaze made from baking soda. The handles are made from a darker clay than the porcelain cup and are inspired by line drawings of my long-time friend (Eleda).
Erin’s Vinaigrette I
Single fire, cone 6 oxidation, thrown serving bowl, with handbuilt tongs
6”x11”x11” — 2021
Ceramic salad bowl with tongs inspired by a neutral color palette and a drawing of my roommate (Erin) that has an altered rim and follows a painterly glaze application technique. Two overlapping trident-like fork tongs rest in the grooves of the rim.
Erin’s Vinaigrette II
Close up image of Fedorchak_03
6”x11”x11” — 2021
Parent’s Kitchen
Cone 10 reduction, thrown platter with slip trail and brushed baking soda mixture
1.5”x13”x13” — 2020
Neutral colored ceramic plate with a black slip trailed blueprint outline of my childhood kitchen. While primarily utilizing baking soda a glaze, flashing occurs and some of the black runs thus causing some contrast and variety in the line quality. A similar outline of the blueprint is also sgraffitoed onto the surface.
Integration By Parts
Cone 6 oxidation, thrown vessel with colored slips
6.5”x7”x7” — 2020
Four different neutral colored clay bodies are unified to create a vessel complete with three lub handles and slip for additional surface design.
Pho-Soda
Cone 10 reduction, thrown bowl with altered rim and brushed baking soda mixture
6”x10”x10” — 2020
Ceramic bowl with an altered rim and finished with a baking soda glaze. This glaze flashed the surface making it orange. Black slip is used to contrast the light nature of the porcelain clay body.
To Be Watered Flowers
Cone 10 salt, thrown/hand built watering can
16”x13.5”x6.5” — 2021
Dark ceramic watering can with loopy handle and complimentary carvings surrounding the base of the from. These carvings are brought out by a lighter hued shino glaze.
Steven’s Snow Cone
Cone 6 oxidation, thrown bowl with altered rim and foot
4.5”x6.5”x6.5” — 2021
Neutral colored ceramic serving bowl with an altered rim and foot inspired by a drawing of my brother (Steven) with a snow cone. There is a brush-like and freeing quality to the glaze marks that help the piece flow.
Birds & Curds
Close up image of Fedorchak_09
7.5”x4.5”x6.5” — 2021
Ceramic pitcher with bird-like spout made with a combination of dark stoneware and porcelain and finished with a baking soda glaze that flashes the surface orange. Black and orange underglaze were also added to emphasize the form.
Slumped
Cone 6 soda, thrown mug with hand built handle, water etching, and slip trail design
4”x6”x3.5”
Ceramic mug warped to sit on its side made out of red clay with a porcelain handle. Slip was applied to the surface and then water etched away to create variety in the texture and color of the surface.
Two Pairings
Cone 6 soda, cast cups with complimentary pinch pots highlighting soda reactions
6”x3”x3” (2 taller cups); 3”x3”x3” (pinch pots)
While these forms were fired together, they appear drastically different. While two are porcelain and slip cast from a mold, the other two are pinched and made from a dark stoneware. The slip cast works are glazed while the pinched forms are finished filled with raw soda ash. This difference can speak to differences in personalities and backgrounds.
Crunchy
Cone 6 oxidation, slip cast porcelain set with red bits and shale based glaze
3.5”x1.5”x1.5” (small cup), 5”x2.5”x2.5” (bigger cup), 2”x5”x4” (bowl)
Ceramic slip cast set consisting of a small cup, larger cup, and bowl that has a shale based glaze on the rim and shattered bits of red clay filling the inside ridge. This set of cast forms, while made from porcelain, have other materials such as the glaze and red clay that can speak to how relationships form unexpectedly.
Similar but Different
Woodfired, slip cast porcelain with shino and complimentary granular magnetite bits
3.5”x1.5”x1.5” (each)
Ceramic slip cast juice cups woodfired with minimum glazing and high levels of orange flashing to the bare clay. The granular magnetite in the shino glaze on the interior of the pot helped catch the wood ash nicely and dripped slightly.
Shale Bits
Cone 6 oxidation, red stoneware bowl and cup with shale glaze and dipped rims to match
4”x6”x6” (bowl); 4”x4”4” (cup)
Ceramic bowl and cup set made from a red stoneware and complimentary shale glaze. The rims of both the forms are dipped in raw shale which have left more of a smoothened gravely texture behind. Where the glaze is thicker, it turns a butter yellow but is brown in most places.
If you’re interested in purchasing Emily’s work, please follow this link, and contact her for more information.
Biography
Raised in Greenfield, Indiana, Emily Fedorchak is currently the studio manager at the Wellsville Creative Arts Center (WCAC) in Wellsville, New York. She graduated from Alfred University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and during summer 2021, Fedorchak became a Founding CoDirector of Alfred Arts Studio. While she remains involved in studio upkeep of this space, in 2022 Fedorchak temporarily moved to North Carolina and completed a STARworks ceramic internship which grew her interest in geology immensely. As she continues her responsibilities at WCAC, she aims to strengthen the artist community in western New York by coordinating a diverse plethora of workshops, exhibitions, and classes.
Emily Fedorchak 