Esther Mech

Watkinsville, GA

Artist Bio:

Esther Mech received her Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art with a minor in Art History from Wesleyan College (Macon, Georgia), and her Master’s in Fine Arts in Ceramics at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia) in 2019.  Her work consists of utilitarian ceramics, and she continues to live and work in the Athens area.

 Artist Statement:

 Clay is a very intimate medium, inviting touch from hands and lips as it is shaped and used. I aim to make functional pottery that people are compelled to pick up, pots that may sit back quietly and become integrated into someone’s routine.  I use a combination of pinched, stamped, etched, and wheel-thrown elements to explore texture without sacrificing comfort in hand.  Additional layers are created through painted illustrations that reference historic Korean imagery, and the use of gold lustre overglazes.  The majority of my work is fired in either atmospheric wood kilns – which both highlights and softens the surfaces – or cone 6 oxidation to preserve color and fine details.