stained (verb): to suffuse with color

This show features three distinct makers who create their iconic works with colored porcelain: BOO LEE, Chris Alveshere, and Eiko Maeda.

BOO LEE is a porcelain art and pottery studio owned and operated by Sean Adams and Sydney Ziemke. The work is typically slip-cast, with hand-cut stencils applied during the leather-hard stage which are then painted with stained slips. All of their clay and glazes are made by hand in their Stevensville, Michigan studio.

Chris Alveshere currently lives and makes work in Missoula, Montana. He is co-owner of Workroom Montana, a community arts center, and Flecks + Specks, a colored ceramic grog business. His work is unglazed, made entirely from stained porcelain clay bodies in bright and contrasting colors. His work is whimsical and brings out feelings of childhood nostalgia.

Eiko Maeda is a Japanese nerikomi potter based in Ontario, Canada. Nerikomi relies on the stacking of stained clay in precise ways to create intricate patterns. She uses porcelain for its translucent qualities and matte surface. Hold a piece of hers up to the light, and you can see right through it. Often unglazed, her work is all handbuilt.

Even with the same beginning materials, all three of these makers create something incredibly unique. Through slip casting, throwing, and handbuilding, the possibilities with stained porcelain are endless.