Among the Still Waters (2025)

Where contrast learns to coexist

2025
Handbuilt Ceramic, Sculptural Appliqué, Glaze Layering, Stained Glass
26.5 × 26.5 × 7.5 cm

This piece started with a memory, not of a single place, but a feeling I’ve had while hiking. I used to power through trails just to get to the end. But once I started this series, I began slowing down, taking in my surroundings. That’s when I noticed the creeks, how silent they are unless you really stop to listen, how they cut through terrain that’s rocky and soft at once.

I wanted to hold that contrast in this bowl: on one side, a soft yellow flower blooming in textured grass. On the other, dark earth, scattered rocks, a sense of weight. I added glass to the carved indentation so the creek would glimmer, not loudly, but with a quiet presence.

When I first saw the final glaze, I was disappointed. The contrast felt too stark. But the more I looked, the more I saw something else: two different stories held in tension, side by side. Not fighting, just coexisting. There’s something beautiful in that, in how opposites can meet without trying to resolve each other.

Two worlds, separated by water, still working together to tell the same story.