Artist Statement & Bio

Artist Statement:
It is my Grandmother’s ladylike traditions that influence my current body of work. She had a penchant for beautiful objects and set an elegant beautiful table. On special occasions, she would dress her table with matching service pieces, china and stemware as the family gathered. When they were not being used, these treasured items were stacked neatly behind the glass doors of her formal china cabinet.
I have created tableware that is interchangeable, fun and engages the user in the creative process. Each piece functions on it’s own, but also works within a variety of settings. Randomly placed or thoughtfully stacked, these pieces provide practical solutions for today’s modern lifestyles. Equally at home at the kitchen counter or at a finely appointed dining table, I invite the users to create with my service wear their own signature place setting, service set or still life, worthy of Grandma’s table or glass cabinets.




Bio:

Chrys is an accomplished potter, ceramic artist and educator. In 2009 she was awarded the "Regina Brown Undergraduate Student Fellowship from NCECA (National Council on Education of the Ceramic Arts). She presented the council with a thesis on a topic near and dear to her heart: What does the future hold for the functional ceramic artist? Titled "Sorry there is no App for that,” this article is currently pending publication in The Studio Potter, “Sustenance”, Volume 39, Number 1, Winter/Spring 2010 – 2011.

The last several years Chrys has exhibited, sold, and won awards for her ceramic artwork at several prominent galleries all over the Detroit and Flint Michigan metro areas. This year her work was chosen to be exhibited in two national shows: “The Strictly Functional Pottery National”, in East Petersburg, PA, and “Last Call” show in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Chrys is a teacher, student, mother of two daughters: (one still at home), grandmother, wife and full time ceramic artist, not necessarily in that order. She teaches "Beginning Ceramics" and "Intermediate Ceramics" at the Anton Art Center in Mount Clemens, MI, and "Clay as Canvas" at the Flint Institute of Arts in Flint, MI., an advanced ceramics class at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, continuing education ceramic classes at the College for Creative Studies and a ceramic survey class to degree-seeking students at Wayne County Community College District on the east side of Detroit.

Chrys earned a Bachelors of Arts, with High Honors, in June 2010 from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.