Michael Kifer

I’ve always liked to decorate surfaces with colors and texture. I found that clay allows me to do both. For thirty years I have been on a quest to find the perfect blend of smooth, painted surface and the contrasting texture of abstract objects like bike tires, gears, and old rake teeth. To create this combination of smooth and textured, I impress the objects into the damp clay, and then color is sprayed, brushed, and slip trailed onto the piece. Then, the grooves of texture are finished with stain and patina. Clay has been an interest of mine from the start. I was drawn to its ability to be functional yet beautiful. Though my work is viewed as decorative, I still love to see one of my vases with a bouquet of flowers, or a bowl used for a salad. This is one of the reasons I still make mugs, which I think are the most intimate pieces. When they are loved, it touches lips and hands. It makes me so happy to know I have done my job, helping one person at a time to discover the beauty and function of my work. Making art that is enjoyed by so many is my dream come true. Being able to live my dream, what more could I want?