Kara Kyle

I'm a part-time potter in Central PA (USA) working out of a tiny home studio. I'm inspired by botany, aged things and organic forms, which translates subtly throughout my body of work. I gravitate towards undulating rims, visible seems, and a little wonk; it’s intentional that my pieces tell a story of being made by hand. I am mindful of form and function and the sensory nature of those things that we hold; the way one’s fingers rest on a handle, the way a rim feels between your lips, and the way a cup feels enveloped by your hand. Clay is entrancing, temperamental, and infinitely versatile. It harnesses the power to both humble and delight; often in the same breath. Moving out of my head and into my hands is an alchemy of both energy and object, which in the past year has become substantive with the addition of 22k gold luster as a treasured material. Though I do use the wheel at times, I consider myself to be a hand-builder who primarily uses coils, slabs, templates, and home-made bisque molds. I try to keep my studio flow as intuitive as possible which creates space for curiosity and evolution to move through a variety of aesthetic values within my body of work.