ARTIST STATEMENT
My ceramic work has evolved from traditional wheel-thrown functional vessels to more sculptural fanciful artistic pieces. I’ve recently enjoyed exploring exaggerated female forms combining sexual and whimsical, sensual and silly, and definitely booty obsessed. I begin all my stoneware pieces by wheel-throwing into a basic shape, then I alter them into undulating organic forms.
My creative process is always evolving and I’m continually pushing the boundaries of the materials and experimenting. If a form flops on the wheel or a piece isn’t up to standard, I recycle the clay and start over. My thinking process isn’t that a piece failed, it’s that I get to make it again while learning from past mistakes. I’m also experimenting with alternative firing such as raku, pit, and saggar firing as well as mixing my own glazes from scratch.
Creating art out of clay or “making dirt pretty” is incredibly satisfying and great for my mental health. The act of throwing is a mindfulness exercise and incredibly meditative. I focus on the clay between my hands, controlling my breathing as I pull the clay upward and outward to form a vessel on the wheel. I’m also able to express feelings visually more so than I am able to with words.
ARTIST BIO
Katie Rueber is a ceramic artist and Navy veteran living in West Allis, Wisconsin. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Art from Mount Mary University prior to traveling the world as Navy Lithographer. While living in Europe and visiting different ports of call, museums and historical sites gave Katie the opportunity to continue her art history education and provided inspiration to many of her artworks.
As with many veterans, art therapy is an important part of her life. Creating vessels on the potter’s wheel then altering the thrown pieces provides a grounding meditative experience. She continually tests the limits of the stoneware clay bodies, altering wheel thrown forms into organic twisting shapes that beg to be touched. Katie works and her pieces are exhibited at Cream City Clay Studio and Gallery, West Allis since 2015.
© Katie Rueber