Heather Spontak
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Biography:Heather was born in upstate New York and has since moved around quite a bit. In 2012 she received her BFA from East Tennessee State University and later worked as a Resident Artist at Odyssey Clayworks in Asheville, NC. For the past 5 years she traveled in a little camper with a mobile pottery studio around the western United States. Currently she resides in beautiful Arizona with her partner and sweet pup named Kaia.
Artist Statement:Oftentimes the subtleties of our daily lives are overlooked. Working with clay is an outlet and an opportunity to bring attention to the objects and tiny details that make life beautiful. I am constantly intrigued by shadows from plants, weather surfaces and the shapes between objects. These musings serve as inspiration for my ceramic forms and surface carvings.
Each piece is hand carved with a linear design that relates directly to the form. Carving is one of my favorite parts of the process. It is a time where I can slow down and really spend some time with each piece. I work closely with each piece to add areas of interest in unexpected places. Perhaps one morning a detail that has gone unnoticed will surface and bring awareness to the subtitles that inspire my work. |
ADVENTURE: AN UNUSUAL AND EXCITING, TYPICALLY HAZARDOUS , EXPERIENCE OR ACTIVITY
Our Little '68 Camper "Elmer"
In September of 2017 my partner and I decided we needed a change of pace. I had set up a sweet little studio in Montana, but the long winters and a desire to travel kept creeping into my mind. One day it was decided that we were going to move onto the road full time and make a living as artists....we bought a trailer two weeks later. This did and still does feel like a crazy idea given that I make pots and have a cat...but why not??
After a year of preparation and re-modeling I am now living in a 1968 Hi-Lo camper with a mobile pottery studio. My wheel is run by solar, I have all my materials with me, and I bet a lot on the kindness of humanity for kiln space. If you have a kiln you are willing to rent I would love to give you money, cook you dinner, trade pots, etc. If I have a home studio again, know that my kiln is always open.
Some amazing things have come from this adventure so far! I've meet kind generous people who have let us stay on their land, a poet who left a sweet note on my booth display, and I've also blown the shocks out on my truck. This lifestyle has taken some getting used to. It is both freeing and limited. It is easy sometimes and other times its one of the hardest things I've tried to do with my life. That's what an adventure is. It's unusual, it's hazardous, and it's exciting.
After a year of preparation and re-modeling I am now living in a 1968 Hi-Lo camper with a mobile pottery studio. My wheel is run by solar, I have all my materials with me, and I bet a lot on the kindness of humanity for kiln space. If you have a kiln you are willing to rent I would love to give you money, cook you dinner, trade pots, etc. If I have a home studio again, know that my kiln is always open.
Some amazing things have come from this adventure so far! I've meet kind generous people who have let us stay on their land, a poet who left a sweet note on my booth display, and I've also blown the shocks out on my truck. This lifestyle has taken some getting used to. It is both freeing and limited. It is easy sometimes and other times its one of the hardest things I've tried to do with my life. That's what an adventure is. It's unusual, it's hazardous, and it's exciting.
Handcrafted Ceramics Inspired by Nature
