Online Feature: Kartini Thomas
I am addicted to ceramics because it is endless and risky. One can perfect a process, become a great artisan, and still have a piece explode or go terribly wrong. It is an art for optimists, as we must go back to the studio every day and keep working, hoping that the shapes and colors we have in our heads will finally become real. I feel that both science and ceramics are driven by this kind of optimism, which is also just a sort of terrible curiosity about what might happen if...
Inspired by monsters, modular toys and microbiology, my latest works are an invitation to play. I love to explore the frontiers between fascination and disgust, cartoons and coral reefs, fine craftswomanship and that perfect shape that comes from not paying attention to what your hands are doing. In creating sculptures that resemble toys, creatures, little playgrounds, I hope to engage the viewer in a process that brings them closer to the work. Perhaps as co-conspirators, mad scientists gleefully experimenting, watching breathlessly for movement or evolution.