Artist Research Assignment

I chose to do my research assignment on Mimi McPartlan and Kala Stein. When I was searching on Artaxis.org, I found both of these ceramists to catch my eye in their own unique way.

Mimi McPartlan went to New York State College of Ceramics and got her BFA. At one point she was a resident for KleinReid in New York City. She also was an assistant in Germany. She has appeared a couple times in Ceramics Monthly's Undergraduate Showcase. To this day she is in Philadelphia, PA and is a resident artist at The Clay Studio. She didn't say what kind of technique she uses but if I had to guess it would be either the pinch pot technique or she uses a wheel. She likes the way her final projects look because they have a contrast of sharp lines of the paint and the smooth edges of the pots. She claims it reminds her of warm rocks that interlock perfectly.

Kala Stein received her BFA from SUNY New Paltz and her MFA from New York State College of Ceramics. She was at Alfred and taught and curated for Cohan Gallery. She has shown in nearly 40 national exhibits. She has also been paid to work on custom pieces for homes. She now is the Director of Ceramics at Sonoma Community Center in California, where she is enhancing her skills and outreach program. She uses a molding technique were she takes plaster and forms a mold then can make many duplicates of the original. She uses nylon straps to shift the mold each time she uses it to give the piece a different look each time she makes a new piece. She likes the way the hand prints or the tool engravings make in the mold and transfer over to the pieces. She doesn't like perfect but she likes the industrialization of the production.

Compare and Contrast:

  • Both of them use a different technique. Mimi uses a wheel or pinch pot technique, while Kala likes the production of the plaster mold.
  • They both have unique textures for example Kala has more sharp edges and Mimi has smooth edges and more of a soft tone to them.
  • Mimi uses mostly pastel colors and likes to leave a little bit of white lines along the edges of the piece, while Kala likes dark colors and uses one color throughout her works.
  • They both went to the same college, which an amazing coincidence.

I love both of these ceramists because of their different techniques and uses of color. I especially like Mimi's work because I am a big fan of pastel colors but I'm not a huge fan of the smooth edges she likes to work with. I like the sharp edges of Kala's work and not so much the intense colors. In this project I hope to use both of my favorite qualities of their work and help it influence my next project.