Pit Fired Porcelain Bottle Vase

Megan Cassidy explores the technical and formal qualities of relief patterned surfaces on both decorative and functional wheel thrown ceramics. She is currently finishing her Master’s of Science in Art Education Degree at Central Connecticut State University where she focused on developing a series of vessels that pushes the structural integrity of the clay by removing material for maximum openwork allowing the viewer to see inside the forms. The interior composition of these vessels were also addressed coaxing the viewer to take a closer look and ponder the mystery of how they were created.

Many of the sources for her work lie within the long and complex history of ceramics. Technically elegant forms of Chinese and Korean relief, celadon pottery and the geometric motifs of Islamic ceramics are just a few of the historical genres that have inspired the development of her work. While standing upon the shoulders of previous civilizations and ceramic traditions, she hopes to provide her own distinct interpretation of traditional forms and make them relevant to our time giving them a meaningful place in our culture.

Her wheel thrown forms act as canvases for patterns and texture manipulated through a combination of carving, slip trailing, piercing and sgraffito. When she is not developing these meticulously, controlled surfaces, she engages in the contrasting process of pit fired pottery. She enjoys the relationship of creative chemistry and atmospheric serendipity to create organic, subtly colorful surfaces.

Locations Megan has exhibited include the Sill House Gallery, the Guilford Craft Expo, the Central Connecticut State University Art Gallery, the Elihu Burritt Library and the Guilford High School Alumni Show. She balances her career as an artist with graduate school and teaching high school art full time.