Description
I am classically trained in high craft. This means that every starting point comes from the perspective of understanding materials, processes and techniques. Every journey is considered a conversation between me and the work, where I don’t have an end in mind. Every goal is oriented towards creating connection. I am a serial experimenter, a mad scientist in my studio, intersecting multiple genres within ceramics. I process wild clay, make my own glazes, hand build, wheel throw, monotype transfer, underglaze, overglaze, luster, ceramic decal, upcycle thrifted ceramics, wood fire, electric fire, mason stains, etc. I feel only now everything is starting to coalesce and I am figuring out who I and my work are; how we work together and how we fit into the larger cultural conversation. I truly believe in the concept that hand made functional objects enhance the meaning and beauty of everyday life.
My work combines Eastern training with Western aesthetic sensibilities and materials, trying to create a synthesis between the two. When I first started interacting with American ceramics, it was via Instagram; I noticed that bright, bold colors play a big part of American ceramics, and when I returned, it was one of the elements that I wanted to interact more with, as it was a symbol to me of my Americaness. I am still trying to figure out other identifiers of Americanness in ceramics, but in a lot of ways my schooling remains ingrained in me: my forms tend to be smaller and thinner than the “correct” American size; I don’t chase perfection, letting the chaos of the kiln and materials be what they may and finding the beauty in the randomness.
Website:
https://caoyustudio.com/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/caoyu_studio/
