Charlotte Middleton

BIOGRAPHY

Charlotte Middleton is a ceramic artist from rural Maine. She is currently a second year MFA candidate at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Middleton creates functional ceramic still-lives, thrown on the wheel, altered, then hand-painted using multiple glazes and resist techniques. Middleton uses narrative arrangements of objects to bring attention to the overlooked but essential acts of our daily lives; drinking, sharing, nourishing. The patterns enveloping the forms are chosen from photographed fabric and textile imagery- referencing old pajama pants, bedroom wallpaper, or other domestic scenery. She has participated in both group and solo shoes internationally, and has work represented in galleries and private collections. She has completed an apprenticeship in rural Virginia, and a residency with the University of Georgia in Cortona, Italy. She earned her BA in Sculpture from Wheaton College, MA in 2018.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My pottery is about connection, intimacy, and utility. While these themes drive my work, the usefulness of the object remains at the forefront of my decision making. This is both an aesthetic and conceptual choice. Growing up in rural Maine, I was exposed to craft arts. The quilts, dolls, and rugs made by my parents and great-grandparents were often made of scraps brought home from the local woolen mill. Their art was designed for beds and floors- art to be laid and stood upon.

Born from the mechanics of a sewing machine, the electric wheel requires my attention, touch, and body to bring shape and dimension to clay. As I pull the walls of the clay up, I consider how it will be lifted, held, or overlooked. The vessels are canvases designed as much for consideration as use.

My current work references still life painting through narrative arrangements of everyday objects: usually cups, bowls, pitchers, and a vase. These objects represent the overlooked but essential acts of our daily lives. I stage the objects and project a uniting pattern on the “front” of each set. Each pattern and shadow is then made permanent through the ceramic processes of layering glazes, slips, or atmospheric firings. The patterns enveloping the forms are chosen from photographed fabric and textile imagery- referencing old pajama pants, my bedroom wallpaper, or other domestic scenery.

The relationship between the objects and the user becomes enlivened through use. The continuous patterning, shadows, and negative spaces communicate placement. These design choices are intended to invite the observer to move around the work; to complete the image; to embody the light that casts the shadow; and extend the hand that brings the form into a life.

middletonceramics.com
Instagram: @charlottelmiddleton_