Featured Artist Faith Givings

4 Comments

Artsy Shark presents the portfolio of  ceramic artist Faith Givings. See more of her work by visiting her Etsy shop and her Facebook Page.

 


 

A Wisconsin watercolor artist and potter for over 20 years, I’ve married a lifelong fondness for local flora and old-fashioned favorites with my signature watercolor-glazing techniques.  I sacrifice blossoms and leaves from my garden to construct intricately detailed ceramic canvases by hand, in my small studio or at the picnic table in my Milwaukee backyard.  Following an elaborate drying process, each is painstakingly “watercolor glazed” between multiple ceramic firings. The result of this time and labor intensive process is a limited number of strikingly elegant pieces.

 


What makes my work unique is that most of my pieces are functional as well as decorative, but in a way that’s different from other functional pottery. My work is intended to function as art for the home or office, like a fine painting. Then, with little more than a moment’s notice, the owner can pluck a lovely piece from its stand or right off the wall to offer crudités to guests, serve sushi for two, or showcase a special dessert. Dual-duty art for the economy-minded, for the down-sized, for the minimalist, the innovative, the modern home.

 


 

As a youngster, the .50/hour I made babysitting supported my ‘habit’ as I experimented through a multitude of paints and surfaces. I painted on rocks, thumbtacks, stools, doors, fabric scraps, and what we used to call typing paper.  My mom used to joke that, “If it doesn’t move fast enough, Faith’ll paint it!”


As an adult, when a friend offered to watch my 4 young children in exchange for sewing a maid-of-honor ensemble for her, I jumped at the chance to attend a weekly pottery course offered through the local Recreation Department.  In no time, I was hooked (and my family and friends have the experiments I inundated them with to prove it)!  Years later I returned to the University to finish my studies in law and mediation, but I couldn’t help padding my course list with courses in watercolor and pottery.  For years I stole away to the university’s ceramics studio every chance I could get.  I’d pound on lumps of clay, carve intricate designs, and throw huge pots, or spread out on a sunny patch of lawn with huge, thick sheets of cold pressed paper, studying the ebb and flow of water and colors … all the while wishing I could effectively combine the two.



Why clay and not traditional watercolor or another medium? The distraction of my elaborate ceramic process came to my rescue, in a manner of speaking. Suddenly, without warning, we lost our dearly loved oldest son, at about noon on Thanksgiving Day, shot and killed while our next youngest son was held at gunpoint, only about a mile from our home of 25 years. It’s been five years, and I still can’t say that without having to hold my breath to stifle a scream, and then remind myself to breathe again. After months of shrieking and sobbing in aimless, bitter agony, for the rest of my dear family’s sake, I returned to the relative silence of the pottery studio. It wasn’t that I stopped crying; I wailed non-stop some days, wetting every bit of clay before me. But I didn’t have to talk to the clay, or explain my tears, or stop them. The clay simply absorbed my tears. And it still does.




Filed Under: Featured Artists Tagged With:

Comments

  1. Linda says
    March 13, 2011 at 12:33 am

    I am Faith’s biggest fan, love her art, I have many pieces and will have more soon.

    Reply
    • admin says
      March 13, 2011 at 7:59 am

      I’m sure you really enjoy them! When I owned a production studio, working in clay, I collected art pottery from many other craftspeople because I admired their work. Faith’s designs are beautifully and would enhance any home.

      Reply
  2. kathy says
    March 13, 2011 at 11:01 am

    I love Faith’s work and you have some wonderful items featured here that are great examples of the same elegant beauty also found in the smallest of her pieces offered. A talented artist that exhibits grace and charm in each piece she lovingly crafts.
    .

    Reply
  3. kara rane says
    August 2, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    hi Faith-
    wonderful combination of materials>> delicate plants & solid earth.
    very touching story, thank You for sharing.

    Reply

Speak Your Mind

*