Shirley Gromen Ceramics

Meet the Artist

• About This Artist

  My work is a portal into the ever-changing natural world of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Using sgraffito to interpret different species of birds, fish, insects and plants on functional and sculptural porcelain forms I hope to bring to the user/viewer an awareness and appreciation of the variety of interdependent life that surrounds us.

• Q&A With This Artist

  Q:  Can you tell us about how your work is made?

  A: "y forms use a mid-range porcelain clay body and are either thrown or handbuilt. I use a mishima technique carving parts of the design onto the leatherhard form that will then be filled with terra sigillata (a fine clay slip). After spraying terra sigillata I then use a sgraffito technique of carving away the black slip to reveal the drawing. Slip trailed lines are then added.

  Q:  What makes you passionate about the medium and materials you work with?

  A: When I think of my influences, I see my grandmother’s Limoges china that she carried from Europe in 1914 and my mother’s Imari china plates from Japan that decorated the walls of our dining room. I also pull from my career as a graphic designer when I envision the two-dimensional aspect of a surface design or pattern with all its intricate layers and stages. I’m also influenced by what I discover as I continue to explore my craft.

  Q:  What is something unique or unexpected about you or your work?

  A: My work celebrates nature in a narrative that is realistic yet playful.

  Q:  The 80th anniversary issue of American Craft focuses on kinship—from an artist’s deep connection to materials to the networks of people within the larger craft ecosystem. Please share any stories on collaboration, how craft expands community, or how craft creates stronger bonds between people across cultures.

  A: Clay brings many connections to other ceramic artists and the opportunity to view how clay shapes their lives. While traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico in 2019 I was fortunate to visit with several ceramic artists in different villages. One of the most memorable being watching a ceramic artist grind his local clay with a concrete roller the size of a lawn mower before mixing with water to use for throwing on a hand-turned wheel.