Priya Thoresen

My work is an investigation of the everyday and the objects we live with in domestic spaces. I design ceramic vessels based on research of the forms of things found at Goodwill. Selecting objects based on a criteria of color, I discover things more like archeologist than a shopper. The forms of these objects are abstracted and become the basis of my ceramic work. Using earthenware clay, vessels are made almost entirely with my hands, leaving behind evidence of process. Different compartments and unexpected proportions in the forms resemble split level architecture, and vary in scale from a personal desk organizer to something which engages space in the manner of furniture. The color palate I use is saturated, and resembles both colors seen here in Phoenix, and colors typical of plastic. In this work, I question the values of ‘good design’, and the history of objects found at Goodwill.