Pottery

What sets Michelle's work apart from other hand made ceramics? We might better ask: how does the clay work of Michelle Rhodes find its place in the eons old practice of the art and craft of clay? It is perhaps its very un-uniqueness that sets it apart. It is characterized by simple shapes, natural and traditional surface treatments, slow process, unexaggerated beauty, soft forms, earthy and antique colors. There is neither an effort to obliterate the artist's touch, nor to exaggerate it. You could say then, that the esthetic is one of being, rather than doing. And yet there is certainly much doing in the making of the pieces, and joyful interaction with history and clay. To enjoy Michelle Rhodes' work is to slow down and appreciate the simpler pleasures of life, to accept an invitation to put the fast-paced, hyper-technical push-button world momentarily aside. By holding, using and appreciating Michelle's work, you are literally putting yourself "in touch" with the creative process. You are absorbing, through your senses, centuries of pottery traditions passed from artist to artist, culture to culture. This outcome is what she strives for in her work, a labor of love that has been refined over four decades.