Susan Thayer (born 17 October 1957 in New York, NY) is an American ceramicist known for her intricately painted porcelain teapots. [1] Inspired by her grandmother's china as well as by historical European ceramics, she often combines traditional elements with other more contemporary designs in her work. [2] In order to maintain a high level of detail, Thayer must often fire each individual piece between ten and twenty times. [1] She currently lives and works in Portland, Oregon.
Thayer graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI, in 1982 with a BFA in ceramics. [2] After graduation, she remained in Providence and opened a porcelain production studio, though by 1986 she grew discouraged by "the limits imposed by the demands of production." [3] This discontent led her to begin creating one-of-a-kind pieces, [4] drawing on originality rather than the uniformity of mass production. These pieces are often inspired by traditions such as the ceremony and grandeur of a dinner table in all of its propriety: set with dishes on placemats and with multiple spoons, forks, and knives designated for different courses. [3] In addition to serving as an image of tradition, the dinner table—like the teapot—also suggests the notion of people coming together in a ritualistic setting. [5] In conjunction with this classic imagery, her distinctive teapots are also inspired by change, which she perceives as "both desirable and inevitable." [3] That sense of change manifests itself in her teapots as slight alterations of the original form: the perfect spouts start to lengthen or warp, or surface designs are rendered in glow-in-the-dark paint. [3]
Thayer's work is fluid in nature and intentionally "imperfect." [6] She does not take on commissions, preferring to follow her own ideas. [6]
Thayer's pieces are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, [1] [5] the De Young Museum, [7] the Museum of Contemporary Craft, [8] the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, [9] The Racine Art Museum, [10] [11] and in the Newark Museum. [12] Her work was shown in 2003 in "The Artful Teapot" at the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art and the Long Beach Museum of Art, [6] and in 1993, Feats of Clay V, at Gladding, McBean & Company in Lincoln, California. [13]
Susan Thayer (born 17 October 1957 in New York, NY) is an American ceramicist known for her intricately painted porcelain teapots. [1] Inspired by her grandmother's china as well as by historical European ceramics, she often combines traditional elements with other more contemporary designs in her work. [2] In order to maintain a high level of detail, Thayer must often fire each individual piece between ten and twenty times. [1] She currently lives and works in Portland, Oregon.
Thayer graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI, in 1982 with a BFA in ceramics. [2] After graduation, she remained in Providence and opened a porcelain production studio, though by 1986 she grew discouraged by "the limits imposed by the demands of production." [3] This discontent led her to begin creating one-of-a-kind pieces, [4] drawing on originality rather than the uniformity of mass production. These pieces are often inspired by traditions such as the ceremony and grandeur of a dinner table in all of its propriety: set with dishes on placemats and with multiple spoons, forks, and knives designated for different courses. [3] In addition to serving as an image of tradition, the dinner table—like the teapot—also suggests the notion of people coming together in a ritualistic setting. [5] In conjunction with this classic imagery, her distinctive teapots are also inspired by change, which she perceives as "both desirable and inevitable." [3] That sense of change manifests itself in her teapots as slight alterations of the original form: the perfect spouts start to lengthen or warp, or surface designs are rendered in glow-in-the-dark paint. [3]
Thayer's work is fluid in nature and intentionally "imperfect." [6] She does not take on commissions, preferring to follow her own ideas. [6]
Thayer's pieces are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, [1] [5] the De Young Museum, [7] the Museum of Contemporary Craft, [8] the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, [9] The Racine Art Museum, [10] [11] and in the Newark Museum. [12] Her work was shown in 2003 in "The Artful Teapot" at the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art and the Long Beach Museum of Art, [6] and in 1993, Feats of Clay V, at Gladding, McBean & Company in Lincoln, California. [13]