Patty's Pottery =^.^=

Meet the Artist

In the beginning...

I fell in love with pottery during my first college ceramics class in the spring of 1993, but the desire to "play in the mud" must have existed since childhood, as there are photos of me as a little girl covered from head to toe with mud after enjoying an afternoon of sliding on the mound of dirt in my backyard.

I graduated from Bethel College with a BA in studio art in 1996, and began taking the first small steps toward becoming a working artist. I created my first Celtic works in 1999 and focused on that unique style until 2012. Recently, I have begun working with a wider range of geometric, floral, and ethnic designs, incorporating bright colors through the use of underglazes. While I still enjoy working with Celtic knots and spirals, I'm excited to see the direction this new work will lead me.

Artist Statement

Much of my inspiration comes from the metalwork and illuminated manuscripts of ancient and medieval Ireland and Scotland. This Celtic style of ornamentation appeals to me in both a visual and spiritual way, and I admire the way the Celts of old blended the spiritual with the mundane.

I find the abstract, geometric nature of Celtic ornamentation to have a meditative quality, and while we don't really know what the original designs may have meant, interlacing knotwork has come to symbolize an interconnectedness of life. For me, the designs are equally a decorative element and an expression of my faith, connecting me to the world past and present.

With my candle globes and lamps, I am combining the Celtic ornamentation of my other pottery with the idea of illumination, both in a figurative and literal sense. I think of Christ's instructions to "let your light shine," and hope the light of my work will touch whoever uses my pottery and help them find the sacred within life's daily routines.

I use a grid system to aid in the initial layout of the interlaced knotwork, and a compass for the exterior boundary of some spirals, but I do not use any templates or moulds when sketching my designs directly onto the leather-hard porcelain. Once the design is established, then I carve in deeper relief with a variety of sgraffito and loop tools, and a small pointed knife for pierced work. Some pieces are then finished with a single glaze that will break and highlight the carved lines of my work or with a combination of a clear glaze and a sprayed glaze to create a gradation of color. Other pieces are inlaid with black slip to emphasis the line work or colored with underglazes to reflect the colorful nature of the manuscripts that inspire my work.

Education

1996 Bachelor of Arts in studio art;
Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

Awards/Honors

2012 1st place Competitive Juried Entry; "God's Greatness in Small Things" - Twelfth Annual Art Exhibition
Central Baptist Church, St. Paul, MN
2002 1st place Traditional Category; 2002 Celtic Art Exhibtion & Contest
Gallery O, Dallas, TX

Exhibitions

Celtic Knotwork & Spirals Lamp III Celtic Knotwork & Spirals Lamp IV 2017 Let There Be Light
A juried exhibition
Trinity School Christian Arts Festival, Eagan, MN
Triskelion & Loveknot Communion Set 2014 - 2016 Come to the Table
A curated exhibition
CIVA Traveling Exhibition
Celtic Cross Plate 2012 30th Annual Cross View Christian Art Festival
A juried exhibition of Christian art
Cross View Lutheran Church, Edina, MN
Celtic Spirals Vase Glasgow Rose- Celtic Knotwork Globe XXIX Rectangular Sushi Plate with Roses 2012 delecTABLE: The Fine Art of Dining
A juried exhibition
Art Students League of Denver, Denver, CO
Celtic Knotwork & Spirals Easter Egg Celtic Tea for Two 2012 God's Greatness In Small Things
A juried exhibition and competition
Central Baptist Church, St. Paul, MN
Battersea Plate I Battersea Plate III 2010 MNWCA 2010 Members' Exhibition
A member exhibition
Northrup King Building, 3rd Floor Exhibition Space, Minneapolis, MN
Desborough Plate 2010 History in the Making V: Ceramic Traditions Contemporary Pots
A national juried exhibition
The Firehouse Gallery at Genesee Pottery, Rochester, NY
Inverted Goblet Vase with Vines Inlaid Celtic Ribbons - Square Place Setting Celtic Knotwork Clouds Place Setting 2010 Dining In III: An Artful Experience
A national juried exhibition
18 Hands Gallery, Houston, TX
Celtic Cross Tile Mural Triskelion Communion Set 2010 2010 Cross View Christian Art Festival
A juried exhibition of Christian art
Cross View Lutheran Church, Edina, MN
Celtic Knotwork Candle Cup II Celtic Knotwork Bowl with Scalloped Rim 2010 Porcelains and Celadons
A juried exhibition
The Myers Gallery at Muddy's Studio, Santa Ana, CA
All Dressed Up... 2010 The Foot in the Door 4
An open exhibition to all Minnesota residents
MAEP Gallery, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Celtic Spirals Candle Globe VI Celtic Knotwork Candle Cup III 2009 Illuminations: The Art of Light
A national juried exhibition
18 Hands Gallery, Houston, TX
Scalloped Celtic Knotwork Bowl 2009 History in the Making IV: Ceramic Traditions Contemporary Pots
A national juried exhibition
The Firehouse Gallery at Genesee Pottery, Rochester, NY
Celadon Celtic Knotwork Place Setting Red-Gold Celtic Knotwork Place Setting 2009 Dining In: An Artful Experience
A national juried exhibition
18 Hands Gallery, Houston, TX
Celtic Knotwork Basket II 2007 Empty Spaces: Bowls
A juried exhibition
Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
Celtic Knotwork Globe XV 2006 1st Biennial Concordia Continental Ceramics Compeition
A regional juried ceramics competition
Concordia Gallery, St. Paul, MN
Pierced Knotwork Bowl 2005 Salon 300: Minnesota State Fair Overflow Show
A MN State Fair overflow show
Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
  2004 Salon 500: Minnesota State Fair Overflow Show
A MN State Fair overflow show
Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
Creator 2004 Juried Religious Art Show
A juried exhibition for Minnesota residents
Grace United Methodist Church, Minneapolis, MN
Egyptian Lotus Canister 2002 Strictly Functional Pottery National
A national juried exhibition
Southern Market Center, Lancaster, PA
Celtic Tree of Light 2002 2002 Celtic Art Exhibition & Contest
A juried exhibition and contest; 1st place Traditional Category
Gallery O, Dallas, TX
Celtic Spirals I Celtic Luminary 2001 Winterfest 01
A juried exhibition
Period Gallery, Omaha, NE
Celtic Waves 2001 Strictly Functional Pottery National
A national juried exhibition
Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA
Nebula Bowl Iris Nebula 2001 2001 Christian Art Festival
A juried exhibition
Woodbury Luthern Church, Woodbury, MN
Aurora Celtus 2001 Handcrafted
A juried exhibition of ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, and wood
Rocky Mount Arts Center, Rocky Mount, NC
  2000 Functional Art Show
A juried exhibition
Art Collective, Minneapolis, MN
Water Lily 2000 18th Annual Christian Art Festival
A juried exhibition
Cross View Lutheran Church, Edina, MN
Celtic Lite (Celtic Knotwork Globe 1) 2000 Transformations
A juried exhibition of fine crafts
Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
Celtic Tealite 2000 The Foot in the Door 3
An open exhibition to all Minnesota residents
MAEP Gallery, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
  1996 24th Annual Raspberry Monday
A juried student exhibition
Eugene Johnson Gallery, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN
  1996 Sojourn
A senior thesis group exhibition
Eugene Johnson Gallery, Bethel College, St Paul, MN
  1995 23rd Annual Raspberry Monday
A juried student exhibition
Eugene Johnson Gallery, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

Publications

  • Hibberd, Susan. "You shall have a fishy..." Kent, UK: Butterfly Cottage Publishing, 2011. 90-91
  • 2011 Potters Council Calendar - Mug Collection, August
  • Crafts insight: Ceramics, The Crafts Report, April 2004, 19
  • 2004 Clay Lover's Calendar, February & September

Professional Affiliations

There are numerous organizations for artists and potters that work toward promoting the arts. The following are organizations of which I am currently or have previously been a member. The years of my membership are in parenthesis.

Patty's Pottery
by Patty Rau
Minneapolis, MN
thropots@prrpots.com