Pamela Summers

I am a ceramic artist who makes handmade tiles, ceramic mosaics and wheel thrown vessels using a variety of methods. My original designs have evolved over twenty-five years as a full time artist and I continue to explore new combinations of texture, shape and color. My ceramic tiles and wall pieces are all hand made. When working in my “Polychrome” style I use white earthenware clay. I also work in Stoneware clay. My designs are painted with several coats of brightly colored glazes and fired multiple times. In addition to my contemporary polychrome style, I produce work using ancient Raku and Salt Saggar firing methods. Due to limited vision in one eye, I have no depth perception. Creating visual depth and texture by weaving my designs and images on the surface of the clay with vibrant glazes makes me feel I as though I am creating my own vision of depth perception. My designs often reflect inspiration from Picasso, Matisse and the tribal art of Southern Africa. I work with pure, elegant thrown forms as my canvas and have developed a library or vocabulary of shapes and designs. When choosing my glazes I often start with colors opposite each other on the color wheel creating vivid contrast and then build upon these using complementing colors. Red is used liberally in my work. I love red; it’s exciting, it commands attention, It is Powerful. The eye naturally goes to it and red visually takes the viewer throughout the piece. Red makes me feel good.