Still Life – The Art of Living: Exploring the Beauty of Personal Expression in Minimalist Design

Still Life – The Art of Living: Exploring the Beauty of Personal Expression in Minimalist Design

Still Life – The Art of Living was a minimalist exhibition of personal artifacts, furniture, and objects from Ariake, Dux, and Origin Made, with rugs from Sera Helsinki and lighting from Secto Design. The aim of the exhibition, curated by Gabriel Tan and styled by Kråkvik/D’Orazio, was not simply to showcase the panache of high-end design houses, but also a testament to the beauty of personal expression, reflected in the eclecticism of real homes.

The pieces chosen were not confined to a single brand, but instead symbolized the diverse tastes and preferences of individuals, and the seamless way in which these disparate elements can coexist harmoniously. Rather than fixating solely on the novelty of each item, the organizers delve deeper into the conversation that exists between art, objects, and furniture. In this vein, the exhibit was not limited to physical displays.

This exhibition explored a broader narrative, beyond the object itself, revealing the art of everyday living as seen through the lenses of personal style, craftsmanship, and the harmonious blend of varying aesthetic sources. The living room space also played host to thought-provoking discussions led by Tony Chambers and Hanna Nova Beatrice.

Kitchen setting within the Still Life exhibition

Dining room setting within the Still Life exhibition

Origin Made Meia Lua Armchair

Kitchen setting within the Still Life exhibition

Kitchen setting within the Still Life exhibition

Stool placed on the side within the Still Life exhibition

Ariake Kumiko Cabinets within the Still Life exhibition

Living room space within the Still Life exhibition

Braid Sofa by Ariake within the Still Life exhibition

Lounge chair and fireplace within the Still Life exhibition

Lounge chair within the Still Life exhibition

Lounge chair and bookshelves within the Still Life exhibition

Objects and accessories within the Still Life exhibition

Desk within the Still Life exhibition

Side Table placed on the side within the Still Life exhibition

DUX bed within the Still Life exhibition

Photography by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen.

Leo Lei translates his passion for minimalism into his daily-updated blog Leibal. In addition, you can find uniquely designed minimalist objects and furniture at the Leibal Store.

A guide to finding your photography style: Part six

A guide to finding your photography style: Part six

Developing a consistent and cohesive body of work is a key aspect of establishing a strong artistic identity. It allows photographers to express their unique vision and style while creating a recognizable and impactful portfolio.

Let’s explore the importance of consistency in vision and provide some tips for building a cohesive body of work that reflects your artistic vision. It’s possible I am going over some of the same ground in this series, but it is over a good idea to tackle similar thoughts from a slightly different angle.

Define your artistic vision

Before embarking on the journey of creating a cohesive body of work, it is crucial to define your own artistic vision. Take time to reflect on the themes, emotions, and messages you want to convey through your photography. Consider the subjects, styles or genres that resonate with you the most. By clearly defining your artistic vision, you lay the foundation for building a consistent body of work.

This is regardless of what genre you shoot. Is it landscape? Is it cityscapes? Seascapes or perhaps even just sunsets or sunrise? Is there a defining vision for your portraits or macro work? Some people might choose to only create moody black and white or bright primary colors.

Vintage Steampunk

Select a unifying theme or concept

Choosing a unifying theme or concept is an effective way to create cohesion in your portfolio. This can be a subject matter, a particular style, a color palette or even a conceptual idea that threads through your images. Selecting a theme or concept helps tie your photographs together and creates a visual narrative within your portfolio.

For example, if you are drawn to urban environments, your theme could be “The Beauty of the Urban Landscape.” Through consistent subject matter and a shared visual approach, you can create a cohesive body of work that showcases your unique perspective on urban life.

Establish consistent visual elements

Consistency in visual elements is key to building a cohesive body of work. Pay attention to elements such as composition, lighting, color and editing techniques. Develop a consistent approach to these elements that aligns with your artistic vision and chosen theme.

For instance, you might consistently use strong leading lines, vibrant color palettes or dramatic lighting in your images. These consistent visual choices will create a sense of coherence and unity across your portfolio, tying your images together and reinforcing your unique style.

This does not mean you cannot explore outside of those visual elements, but a consistent portfolio can be key in developing an identity and style.

Enclosed

Embrace a signature editing style

Editing plays a significant role in defining your photographic style and creating a cohesive body of work. Develop a signature editing style that reflects your artistic vision and enhances the mood or atmosphere you want to convey. Experiment with different editing techniques, color grading and tonal adjustments to achieve a consistent look and feel throughout your portfolio.

Consider creating presets or editing templates that you can apply to your images to maintain consistency. This will ensure that your photographs have a cohesive aesthetic, even when capturing different subjects or scenes.

Curate and edit with intention

Building a cohesive body of work involves careful curation and editing. Be selective when choosing which images to include in your portfolio. Look for images that align with your chosen theme, reflect your artistic vision and contribute to the overall narrative you want to convey. Remove any images that do not fit cohesively with the rest of your body of work.

When presenting your portfolio, consider the order and arrangement of your images. Think about the flow and storytelling potential within the sequence of photographs. This thoughtful curation and editing process will help create a cohesive and engaging viewing experience for your audience.

Peacock green dress and rusty truck

Evolve with intention

Building a cohesive body of work doesn’t mean stagnation. Allow yourself to evolve and grow as an artist while staying true to your artistic vision. Continually explore new techniques, subjects, or styles that align with your overall vision. As you evolve, maintain a balance between consistency and exploration, ensuring that your work remains cohesive while embracing new creative possibilities.

It’s OK to share your journey with others. But try to share the very best of your images, especially with an online portfolio. Nothing better than someone saying, “I knew it was one of your photos before I read the credit.”

The White Rabbit

Define your artistic vision

Building a cohesive body of work is an essential aspect of developing your unique photographic style. By defining your artistic vision, selecting a unifying theme, establishing consistent visual elements, embracing a signature editing style, curating with intention and evolving with purpose, you can create a portfolio that reflects your creative vision and captivates your audience.

Remember, consistency in vision is not about limitation, but about honing your artistic voice and creating a powerful visual statement. So, embrace the journey of building a cohesive body of work and let your photography shine with consistency and impact.

Happy exploring and creating!

In case you missed it:

Photographer George Buggs unveils new exhibit at Center for African American History, Art & Culture

Photographer George Buggs unveils new exhibit at Center for African American History, Art & Culture

Aiken area photographer George Buggs wants people to use their imagination when they see his recent photography exhibit. 

“I hope that we all can use our imaginations,” Buggs said.

Buggs’s artwork will be displayed at The Center for African American History, Art and Culture as part of new exhibit, Anima: Now Sleep. A kick-off for the new exhibit was held Wednesday and feature composited works of photography and images created with artificial intelligence.


Photographs by Aiken resident to be on display at African American center

Buggs’s work has been displayed Aiken Center for the Arts, The McCormick Arts Center at the Keturah in McCormick, Equine Divine Art Gallery, South Side Gallery and more. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Hampton University and master’s in creative writing from Brown University.

Buggs is from Boston but has lived in Aiken for the last 20 years.

Buggs said the work that was displayed are his anima and has the recurring image of a little girl in each photo.

An anima is defined as a someone’s true inner self, according to Webster’s Dictionary.

“She is somebody that has been with me for a long time as a morphing kind of figure since I took a photo of her many, many years ago,” he said.

The exhibit included a poem that explains the purpose of the images. Buggs said his work goes beyond the canvas and shows how photography can be a lesson not just for himself, but for others.

His favorite piece is “Swamp Angel” which to him reflects the mystery and horror. 

Another photo includes a fist going through a Confederate Flag. Buggs said it represents the people who say the flag has nothing to do with slavery but is about heritage.

“The fist represents something beyond human beings exerting its pressure on that sense of history and it also reflects the emergence of history,” Buggs said.

Dennis Bickers, who is also a photographer in the area, said his favorite pieces were the photos that featured the same little girl.

“I like supporting other people’s work,” Bickers said. 

Another attendee, Larry Mitchel who has known Buggs for a long time, came to support his friend and said the art was cool because he is not that artistic. He said his favorite was the “Swamp Angel” piece.

“It shows you how talented he really is because I thought he just took pictures; his photography is unbelievable,” Mitchell said.

The Center for African American History, Art and Culture Executive Director Juanita Campbell said she got in contact with Buggs after he attended another event at the center and said his art would be a great addition to the museum. 

“George is also someone who the community knows by his work, as well,” she said.

Campbell said having Buggs’s art at the center is one way he can express himself to the Aiken community.

“Having our community come to take a look at work, not only shares what we believe at the center, but it also reinforces the type of person George is,” Campbell said.

The exhibit will be on display from July 19 until September. 

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North Branch Land Trust Celebrates Nature Photography Along the Susquehanna

North Branch Land Trust Celebrates Nature Photography Along the Susquehanna

“Hoverfly” – Photo Courtesy of Gail Stasko.

Natural beauty of Susquehanna Watershed shines as focus of local photo contest.

Regional conservation non-profit North Branch Land Trust (NBLT) assembled a team of judges from local conservation organizations to discuss the beautiful images submitted by area outdoor enthusiasts. Winning photographers, Kevin Jones, Cheryl Miller, and Gail Stasko will be receiving conservation swag bags to honor their great work in capturing important moments around the Susquehanna Watershed in Wildlife, Plant Life, Landscape, and Recreation categories.

“It’s an honor for me to be part of NBLT’s photo contest celebrating the work of local photographers featuring DCNR’s, River of the Year. The Susquehanna River Watershed, Pennsylvania’s largest watershed, is home to 3.8 million people. It’s important to bring attention to the river, its spectacular landscapes, wildlife, and people who all share this special watershed address,” said Diane Madl, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The Susquehanna watershed is more than just the river. It is all of the lands that surround it, all of the creeks that lead into it, and all of the lands that drain into those creeks that drain into the Susquehanna that eventually reaches the Chesapeake Bay! From Tunkhannock’s Riverside Park to the tippy top of Mountain Top, it is all connected.

“Kayaking the Susquehanna” – Photo Courtesy of Kevin Jones.

That connectivity was an important feature for the judges who included Madl, PA DCNR Environmental Education Specialist Supervisor, Hickory Run State Park Complex; Jill Robinson, Deputy Director of the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau, representing Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties; and Rachael Stark, Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Karley Stasko, Director of Marketing and Development at NBLT organized the event.

Stark remarked, “There were some submissions that were beautiful but did not feel as connected to the watershed. There was this adorable black and white warbler grabbing a grub—which was really unique because there’s only a small window of opportunity where you can see them. But then you look at that doe and fawn in the creek? It just captures all the life and love of the North Branch of the Susquehanna.”

Plants posed a different challenge. After selecting favorites, the conservation judges took a moment to reassess the selections’ connections to the North Branch. Potted plants, while lovely, are quite removed from the watershed. The winning shot, a hoverfly sipping nectar from a daisy, was selected because of its sense of connectivity. Stasko said, “Seeing the action, all the important identifying parts of the plant and insect so clearly, it’s really remarkable. I am happy the daisy is imperfect too. It makes it that much more familiar to anyone who has ever made a daisy crown.”

“Forest golden hour” – Photograph Courtesy of Gail Stasko.

Some shots were easier to choose than others. Robinson, who also serves on NBLT’s Board of Directors, enjoys hiking and running in NEPA’s great outdoors. “Kayaking is the thing to do on the North Branch of the Susquehanna. I love that perspective right from the middle of the water. I also really like the variety of moods these pictures captured; it shows off the diversity of the watershed.” Robinson compared the stormy golden forest to the bright river journey.

North Branch Land Trust and conservation partners look forward to more celebrations of the River of the Year and all our local waters.

Featured Image (Top): “Creek Family” Courtesy of Cheryl Miller.

Exquisitely-detailed public domain photographs of plants

Exquisitely-detailed public domain photographs of plants
image

These photographs of plants in exquisite detail were taken by Karl Blossfeldt, born in 1865. The photos were published in the 1920s and became associated with the avant-garde art movements of Weimar Germany. The plants in these gorgeous photos are so detailed that they look more like sculptures than living things.

I love photo number 4, as it looks like little grinning faces are covering the body of this plant. Paredolia is always a great surprise! 

From Instagram:
“Using a homemade camera Karl Blossfeldt — born on this day in 1865 — managed to photograph plants in extraordinary detail. Originally made to help his design students observe natural forms more closely, the remarkable images quickly became aligned with the avant-garde movements of Weimar Germany.”

‘Why Pay a Photographer?’: Generation Z Go Wild for AI-Generated Headshots

‘Why Pay a Photographer?’: Generation Z Go Wild for AI-Generated Headshots

Gen Z are going wild for AI photo app Remini for professional headshots. TikTokers are asking why they would ever hire a photographer instead.

Generation Z are using artificially intelligent (AI) photo app Remini to transform their selfies into professional headshots and are questioning why they would ever pay for a photographer instead.

The generative AI photo enhancer Remini has gone viral on TikTok, with thousands of users using the technology to transform their smartphone pictures into flattering corporate headshots.

@gracesplace #CapCut #ai #remini #fypシ ♬ 3:15 (Slowed Down + Reverb) – Russ

In a TikTok video, that has amassed over 42.2 million views in the last five days, content creator @Gracesplace showed how she used Remini to turn a selfie in her car into a series of professional headshots for her Linkedin profile.

Since then, the AI photo app has shot up in popularity. The Remini app has even dethroned Meta’s Threads and soared to the number one spot in the U.S. on Apple’s App Store charts.

The #Remini hashtag currently has over 1.4 billion views on TikTok with content creators asking why they should “pay for headshots when AI does them for free?”

Remini launched in 2019 with software to enhance photo clarity, such as making blurry images clearer. However, in 2022, it added generative AI to its app. While Remini is free to download, it requires a subscription to gain access to all of its features.

@gracesplace Replying to @Aidan #remini #fypシ #ai ♬ original sound – Grace

Remini works a lot like the photo editing app of 2022 Lensa AI. In a follow-up TikTok video, @Gracesplace shows how to use Remini to produce a corporate headshot.

Users start by uploading eight to 12 photos of themselves and selecting their gender. Then, they select a “model image” that mimics the style and composition they want — with categories ranging from “casual” and “trendy” to “travel” and “curriculum.”

The curriculum category features models in business attire and generates professional headshots. After that, there is a swiping function which allows Remini users to narrow down their favorite images.

‘PSA to Photographers: Y’All Better Lower Your Prices’

While many TikTokers were impressed by the AI-generated headshots, many users were troubled that apps like Remini could supplant real photographers.

@mollie.danielle AI really said, “were gonna make you look spanish”… and im here for it #capcut #AI #foryou ♬ 3:15 (Slowed Down + Reverb) – Russ

“PSA to photographers: y’all better lower your prices,” one viewer gloats.

Some TikTok users agreed with their sentiment, commenting: “For real, they [photographers] charge so much just for five pictures.”

While another viewer argues: “AI can’t replicate the true art of a talented photographer. I don’t know anyone who would rather have AI-generated wedding photos.”

@taylee.wells this is crazy😭 #CapCut #ai #aiheadshot #trending #foryoupage #xyzbca #trend ♬ 3:15 (Slowed Down + Reverb) – Russ

Furthermore, while the headshots were certainly impressive, some of the images had defects synonymous with AI technology such as hands with too many or too few fingers.

@ha.lei.gh When you cant use your AI headshots becaude it took of 80 pounds and everyone would notice… 😅🙃 #remini #ai #aifail #aifails #aiheadshot #aiheadshots #funny #fail ♬ 3:15 (Slowed Down + Reverb) – Russ

Meanwhile, according to Insider, other TikTokers claimed that Remini appeared to have substantially changed their weight to make their shot more flattering — with one user dubbing the AI as “fatphobic.”


Image credits: Header photo via TikTok/@gracesplace Depositphotos.

Lindal Designs a Better A-Frame for Today’s Modern Lifestyles

Lindal Designs a Better A-Frame for Today’s Modern Lifestyles

A-frame homes have been around for longer than you may know – Lindal Cedar Homes entered the market in 1945. Beginning in the 1950s and running through the 1970s, the structures were in high demand as vacation homes boomed. Easy-to-build and affordable, Lindal’s compact A-frame material package had the advantage of being able to be delivered to remote locations. At the time, the kit of materials and assembly instructions cost a whopping US $3,345!

Alpha 5

As you’ve likely noticed, there’s been a resurgence of interest in A-frame architecture throughout the past few years. Design-conscious individuals who are looking for a getaway or small primary residence are drawn to the strong architectural statement these special structures can add to the landscape.

Here’s where Lindal’s modern A-frame design comes into play. Traditional A-frames anchor the roof to the ground, creating areas of unusable space with insufficient headroom. Lindal worked with architectural designer Aris Georges, of OM Studio Design, to create five Alpha designs that make better use of each structure’s footprint.

interior living space with sofa and ottoman

Alpha 7

The Alpha is built on a raised foundation that partially exposes the iconic triangular framing of the exterior. This unique design is both aesthetically pleasing and functional – it protects the frame from the ground, allows additional light to come in through inverted clerestory windows located under the roof, and creates more usable space in the interior. A system-built grid and modular approach allows the owner to extend their A-frame lengthwise by adding frames to the base model, while the width remains the same.

A-frame in front of a sunset

Alpha 4 Photo: Lindal Cedar Homes

The Alpha 4 base model is a small home consisting of four frames, you enter through a foyer with immediate access to the bedroom and bathroom. Along the opposite wall, low-headroom areas are put to work holding built-in storage. From there, the floorplan flows into the kitchen and living room, where a wall of glass puts the view on full display and sliding doors open to an optional deck. Low windows allow light to penetrate deep into the space from the sides and provide additional views to the outdoors, while also retaining the integrity of the triangular form.

three A-frames in front of a sunset

L to R: Alpha 7, Alpha 5 + Alpha 4

The Alpha A-frame is available in five sizes, ranging from 670 to 1723 sq ft, with the Alpha 7 and 7+ being the largest models. All designs with loft areas include a spiral staircase up to the second level. The larger models are entered through a notched area in the center, dividing the space into shared and private areas while bringing light from the center of the structure into both sides. Large enough to accommodate a family, the Alpha 7 and 7+ are the best choice for a primary residence. Whichever Alpha A-frame you choose, you can rest easy – every home built comes with a lifetime structural warranty.

Pick up a copy of the Alpha House Plan Booklet or attend a webinar on the Alpha A-frame to become more acquainted with the possibilities. To learn more about building an Alpha A-frame on your property, contact your local independent Lindal representative for support and guidance throughout the process or visit lindal.com.

Kelly Beall is senior editor at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based graphic designer and writer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, and enjoys sharing her finds with others. When undistracted by great art and design, she can be found making a mess in the kitchen, consuming as much information as possible, or on the couch with her three pets. Find her @designcrush on social.

How pop culture and climate anxiety have galvanized a new generation of clay artists

How pop culture and climate anxiety have galvanized a new generation of clay artists

There’s no shortage of clay art shows to see right now around the country. At the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, “Funk You Too! Humor and Irreverence in Ceramic Sculpture” highlights 50 bold pieces created from the 1960s to present day. LGBTQ+ artists are the focus of “Making in Between: Queer Clay” on view at Pomona’s American Museum of Ceramic Art. And the Metropolitan Museum of Art just debuted “Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery,” curated by the Pueblo Pottery Collective and billed as “the first community-curated Native American exhibition in the history of the Met.”

Two recently opened shows near Mid-City Los Angeles especially capture the range of contemporary clay artists’ ideas. “Wayfinding,” Craft Contemporary’s third clay biennial, features the work of 14 contemporary artists “who harness clay’s powerful physical and metaphorical properties to embody their ties to land and water,” as described on the exhibition’s website. A short drive away, “Clay Pop Los Angeles,” curated by Alia Dahl at Jeffrey Deitch, embraces a playful and bold approach to clay, focusing on pop culture influences.

These two group shows highlight the themes contemporary clay artists are exploring — namely modern anxieties around industrialization and climate change as well as ancestral memory. As contemporary artists continue to push the possibilities of ceramic art, they are utilizing the medium’s connection to nature, time and chemistry to explore both global and personal narratives.

A clay work suggests a coral reef.

Courtney Mattison’s “Our Changing Seas IV” (2016-19). “I want people to see what I see when scuba diving on a coral reef,” the artist says.

(Courtney Mattison)

One artist who works with clay, the San-Francisco based Courtney Mattison, creates work that highlights climate change, drawing from her background in marine ecology and environmental studies. “Our Changing Seas IV,” created from 2016-19, sprawls over a large wall in “Wayfinding,” immersing the viewer. Mattison often uses everyday objects, or tools she makes herself, to painstakingly re-create the texture of coral reefs.

“I want people to see what I see when scuba diving on a coral reef — to feel like they’re hovering above it and discovering details from every angle,” Mattison said.

This form of close looking requires we also acknowledge the bleaching of coral reefs, a result of rising water temperatures. Mattison’s installation shifts from colorful and vibrant hues to stark, white sections, calling attention to the fact that these ecosystems are still alive — it’s their skeletons that we are seeing.

“It is essential that the medium of my work be ceramic, as calcium carbonate happens to be both a glaze ingredient and the compound precipitated by corals to sculpt their stony structures,” Mattison said. “Not only does the chemical makeup of my work parallel that of a natural reef, but porcelain tentacles and the bodies of living corals share a sense of fragility that compels observers to look but not touch.”

Drawing on decades of ceramic work, Joan Takayama-Ogawa also brings issues of climate change into her art, with a number pieces on view in “Wayfinding.” These range from 30-inch to 40-inch all-white sculptures that nod to the Great Barrier Reef to 4-inch ceramic cupcakes with syringe pens in them, their “frosting” devoid of color.

A white ceramic piece evokes coral.

Joan Takayama-Ogawa’s “Bleached Coral, Great Barrier Reef, Papua New Guinea” (2018). The artist is eschewing color to evoke the bleaching of coral reefs.

(Joan Takayama-Ogawa and Themes + Projects Gallery, San Francisco)

The artist and educator’s ceramic pieces hold “scary messages” while leaning into beauty, she explains. Takayama-Ogawa recalls how a student at Otis brought her “white coral chunks” from Guam, the student’s homeland. That was in 2009; by 2015, the artist made coral reef bleaching a major part of her practice. She recently embraced a new direction: holding off on colorful glazes.

“A lot of people are surprised that I’m working in white right now,” Takayama-Ogawa said. “But that’s because of the intention and the concept — and the story of bleached coral.”

The changing landscape and humans’ effects on the land play a part in many of the works on view. Pueblo of Isleta and Navajo artist Rowan Harrison says that his Southwestern roots include “a strong traditional lineage when it comes to working in clay.” The Fullerton-based ceramicist has several works on display in “Wayfinding,” all of which are built and painted by hand. Two untitled works are especially striking in the way they showcase Harrison’s approach to mixed media. A vessel made of Native clay, which Harrison will sometimes dig himself, is punctuated with rusted nails. The forms hold opposing worlds: the earth energy of clay juxtaposed with the mass-produced nail.

A decorated clay pot spiked with rusty nails.

An untitled Rowan Harrison piece (2023). The form holds opposing worlds: the earth energy of clay juxtaposed with mass-produced nails.

(Rowan Harrison)

“There have been situations where we have lost family, friends, tribal members because of this idea of industrialization moving into, or encroaching into, Native land,” said Harrison. “The metal pieces represent that kind of technology.… I’m trying to represent this harmony or this balance, if you will.”

The artist cites Robert Rauschenberg, George Herms and Bruce Conner as inspirations for his interest in assemblage. Harrison often combines “traditional Southwestern Pueblo motifs” with more contemporary designs; he often picks up brackets, doorbell covers and machinery pieces, bringing them to the studio to see where he can incorporate them.

“I consider myself one of these Native American artists who has one foot in the traditional world and also one foot in the contemporary world — that is predicated on the materials that I use and the design elements as well,” Harrison said.

Lizette Hernández, whose work is featured in both “Wayfinding” and “Clay Pop Los Angeles,” also thinks a lot about the ties between tradition and our present moment. The Los-Angeles based artist created a series of raku-fired works for Craft Contemporary; at Jeffrey Deitch, you can see three glaze and glass on stoneware pieces, also completed this year.

Organic shapes flank what looks like a section of ancient pyramid.

Lizette Hernández’s “Cielo, Tierra, Guía, Guardia” (2023) brings to mind stories of ancestral guides and celestial beings.

(Joshua White / Lizette Hernández and Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles)

Growing up in a religious home, Hernández was familiar with Christian iconographies and sacred items. Titles like “Cielo, Tierra, Guía, Guardia” (the name of her pieces at Jeffrey Deitch, which roughly translates to “Sky, Earth, Guide, Guard”) bring to mind stories of ancestral guides and celestial beings. But she sees clay as “a spiritual material outside of any religiosity.” Her work takes inspiration from altar pieces and shrines to explore a wider definition of sacred objects.

In her visually complex raku-fired pieces at Craft Contemporary, she embraces the oxidizing of glazes and leaves imprints of her hands in the clay, emphasizing the collaboration between herself and the material. Hernández carefully considers how water affects clay, even after it evaporates — “the material holds its shape, so it holds memory,” Hernández said.

Across both shows, there’s a palpable respect and excitement for the possibilities of clay within our contemporary moment. Compared with other mediums, clay has a certain alchemy, chemistry and transformation tied to its mystique.

“There are so many things that can go wrong, but there’s also such a great sense of satisfaction when you get the results you want,” Mattison said. “Sometimes you can open the kiln and get something even better than you expected.”

For all their fragility, ceramics also hold an innate power: you never know what can happen in the process, but that’s where the magic lies.

“The kiln is the great equalizer and keeps most of us pretty humble,” Takayam-Ogawa said. Hernández echoes this sentiment, describing her relationship to the process as a “surrender.”

“I try to embrace the clay and allow it to kind of have its own life, because it does. It goes through experiences that I can’t experience,” Hernández said. “It goes through extreme heat and interacts with different chemicals … all I have control over is my hands connecting with it.”

‘Clay Pop Los Angeles’

Where: Jeffrey Deitch, 7000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles

When: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closes Aug. 12.

Info: (323) 925-3000, deitch.com/los-angeles

‘Wayfinding’

Where: Craft Contemporary, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles

When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closes Sept. 10.

Info: (323) 937-4230, craftcontemporary.org