Purpose: to look closely at the work of a ceramic artist, learn about both that artist and his/her work.
All images and art is by Sarah Cihat. Image credit off http://www.sarahcihat.com/
a.) What is the background of your artist? (name, age, location, etc)
Sarah Cihat graduated from the Parsons School of Design in 2003, and later rented a studio in Brooklyn, New York where she would later thrive in business, start her career, and explore glazing, ceramics, and mold-making. She is now based in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is inspired by clay and 3-dimensional art. She like the geometry behind 3-dimensional work. Sarah’s art has been featured in many big magazines such as Vogue, Elle, The New York Times, LA Times, Bon Appetite, The Washington Post, and more! Sarah is a successful ceramic artist and businesswoman.
b.) What does your artist’s work look like? (general description of subject, purpose, glazes)
My artist’s work is focused on plates, mugs, bowls, platters, and vases. I notice that she does lots of work on the outside art in general, creating gorgeous patterns and designs like marble, sky, ocean, etc. As for the base itself, it looks like the bowls and everything is made from clay, and it is incredibly smooth, so the artist may have sanded or used a tool to get these ceramics smooth. The art is incredibly impressive, and is most likely done with a glaze. There are lots of colors/glaze used in all of Cihat’s art.
c.) List 4 questions you would ask your artist about the works’ surface treatment, including glaze and any decals, etc., starting with the word “How…?” (You do not need 4 questions for each piece; rather they may reference different things about the 3 pieces or work in general.)
How did the artist get all her art so smooth in these ceramics? Did she use a tool or did she sand them or what mechanism did she use to do so?
How did my artist get the patterns on? Did she even use a glaze, and if so how did she use so many glaze colors at once without them seeping into each other?
How were all these finalized? Were they fired in a kiln? Left to air dry? Etc?
How did the artist create the holes in the bowls, mugs, plates, and vases?