Audrey Carr, Editor-in-Chief
@audreyccourant
Picture yourself collecting clay and letting the lump glide through your fingers as it revolves on the wheel. Your hands press and pull it precisely, creating an original piece. You use techniques like a firm yet sensitive touch to skillfully guide the clay into your vision. Your creativity is exemplified as the piece comes to life with each wheel rotation, making your vessel. Senior Olivia Mitchell is well acquainted with this feeling.
Olivia Mitchell has been an active scholar in the ceramics elective for the past four years. Her passion for ceramics solidified when she participated in the ceramics club in middle school and took classes at the Silvermine Arts Center. “I chose ceramics because I thought it was different from any other mediums we use in art, ” she said. “It’s not like you are trying to draw a replica of a pre-existing image. There is not the same amount of precision, allowing for more creativity and artistic freedom.”
Olivia’s biggest inspiration is her teacher, Maggie Pennoyer, because she does not constrain the artist to certain creative limits. “If you have a creative vision and you are enjoying constructing your piece then she is supportive of your work,” she said.
Currently, Olivia is taking AP 3D Art and Design, specializing in ceramics, which requires a portfolio of fifteen pieces of work to be submitted to the College Board. In the past, she has studied the sustainability of pieces, while this year, she’s exploring her own interests. “My current personal sustained investigation mixes wheel thrown ware with hand-built sculpture, focusing on nature, animals, their habitats, and environments,” she said.
Since taking Ceramics I, her work has been continuously nominated for the Scholastic Art Awards. Her most impressive piece was a coil llama, which she constructed during her junior year. “I liked it because it was really big. This year, I have done smaller, intricate pieces,” Olivia said.
Despite Olivia’s success, she strives to improve her craft by being more efficient. “Growth for me is when I see myself producing the same quality work in less time. If I can do something in under an hour that would have taken me hours a few months ago while being meticulous about the piece, I am satisfied,” she said.
Her quality of work not only embodies craftsmanship but also the creative process itself. “A part of my creative process is talking to my friends. It is encouraged in ceramics class to have conversations with the people around you and look for inspiration, ” she said.
As her time in high school ends, Olivia plans to pursue ceramics as a hobby. “I want to find some art classes or clubs in the future. I am not going to pursue it as a career, but it brings me joy, so I want to continue to do it,” Olivia said.
