Adrienne Eliades
Adrienne Eliades
Adrienne Eliades is a studio potter and workshop leader based in Vancouver, Washington. Adrienne received her BA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Florida in 2016. Named a 2018 Emerging Artist by Ceramics Monthly, Adrienne has been an artist-in-residence at Ash Street Project in Portland, Oregon, Guldagergaard International Research Center in Denmark and The Bright Angle in Asheville, North Carolina. In addition to maintaining a vibrant studio practice, Adrienne teaches at Portland Community College.
Highlighting the desire for creating meaning in the mundane, my ceramic work reinforces the influence of routine and ritual as the thresholds of culture. Shared patterns of behaviors and interactions encompass mealtimes as social sites where tradition and innovation mix. Aestheticizing everyday objects used for eating activities draws attention to the human senses and experience. From tableware to food specific presentation vessels, my work promotes the power of simple rituals that elevate the ordinary to the ornate.
Based on a visual language of color, structure and shape, patterns can evoke emotional responses connected to memory. I design patterns to create value and order. My energetic designs are communications with the user, revealing their unique interpretations as the subconscious mind attempts to make sense of the visual stimuli. A sense of comfort and curiosity are incited by the geometric elements in playful colors and patterns.
I merge traditional ceramic processes with technology to create objects that respect the past while innovating the present. Combined construction methods of wheel throwing, hand-building, and slip casting create streamlined forms with clean lines and gentle organic curves punctuated by asymmetry. Applied using a resist method with digitally designed and die cut stencils, the surfaces alternate between gem-like areas of gloss, sugar-like satin matte glazes, and raw pigmented porcelain. This trichotomy is inviting to sight and touch.
My design-focused functional tableware sets the stage for emphasizing delight in eating experiences. The objects I make function in special moments in which the action becomes the subject matter.