Q&A WITH THE ARTIST

Carbondale Clay Center (CCC): What’s your favorite beverage recipe?

Laura Casas (LC): My favorite mix ever is a simple combination of Tonic Water + Freshly squeezed lime juice! You can add alcohol if you like, but it is not necessary.

CCC: Where does your creative process begin (i.e. sketchbook, specific routine, image reference, etc.)? What considerations do you think about when creating drinking vessels?

LC: My process begins in my sketchbook. I take a lot of inspiration from the notes I keep about my daily life, history and 90’s animation. When I am in a creative stump, I like to set a short 30-60 second timer and make a list; stream of consciousness, things I want to see in the world, things that I want to exist. Most of my experimentation I feel takes place on paper.

CCC: Do you have a certain type of vessel that you prefer to drink from? Does it vary based on the Beverage?

LC: I think I prefer a nice round bellied tumbler or cup. I don’t drink a lot of coffee or tea anymore...I am not exactly sure why - it just slowly grew out of my routine. I’ll have multiple glasses of water around my studio and house.

CCC: When creating a mug, I often hear about the detail and time taken for the handle. Do you have a handle size and type that you prefer to use? Why? Does that directly inform your creative process?

LC: I am very attracted to “bone” shaped handles. Those handles that have thick attachments, but a comfortable and thin body. Since my work is hand pinched it is not uniform, so i believe my handles shouldn't be either. My handle size always comes after I make the pot itself.

CCC: What makes handmade pottery unique to you? Why use a handmade object to sip your coffee, tea, water, etc.

LC: The people who made them! I think the individual themselves *make* a pot. Many of the pieces I have in my collection right now are from friends, artists that I have had conversation with, or artists that I have learned from/want to learn from.

CCC: What influences your pots? What are you looking at or thinking about when making specific Beverageware?

LC: My pot forms are hand pinched from red earthenware. For me, the red clay and the pinched technique is a connection to my history as a first-generation Mexican American. My illustration style is inspired by 90-00’s animation and comics with my own little twist. The narratives in my pots are “notes to myself”; things and feelings that I want to manifest or work through in my own life.

CCC: Is there a certain type of drinking vessel that you prefer making? Or one that seems to always be sought after by customers?

LC: Cups and Mugs! I love decorating on cups though, since there is no visual break from the handle.

CCC: How do you define art within your functional pottery? Do you consider pottery to be a form of Art?

LC: Yes! Working with my hands, creating, manipulating the clay - it is an art form. I treat each individual piece as a sculpture, a painting, a poem.

CCC: When creating pottery, do you work in a series or body of work? At what point do you transition from one series to another?

LC: I find myself working from season to season or sale to sale. After I create about 30-40 works in a time period - I have a need for change. I will look for ways to switch things up - be it a new pallet or shape.

CCC: What keeps you inspired in the studio?

LC: My sketchbook, watching movies and my gardening. When I am in a creative slump I know I can always refer or work an idea out in my sketchbook. One of my favorite things is to watch a movie that I have seen countless times - so pretty much anything animated by Don Bluth or Milt Kahl - and study the scene animation. It’s almost like people-watching. and...As someone who lives in an apartment, I always need planters! Creating pots for my garden always keeps me inspired and motivated.

CCC: How do color, surface, and form influence your work? Does each of those design elements play equal roles in your making process? Is one emphasized over others?

LC: I see color and surface as separate process vs. form. While pinching, I treat each piece as a sculpture. When I am decorating, each piece is an individual painting.