HARRIET ZABUSKY-ZAND
QUICK FACTSYears As An Artist
43 Main Clay Body Standard Grolleg Porcelain #257 and Stoneware Cone 10 B-Mix Primary Clay Building Methods Wheel thrown mostly but also some hand building Favorite Studio Tool Xiem trimming loop tool Clay Wishes or Dreams To make beautiful crystalline glaze pieces consistently and to sell my work from my gallery/studio. To throw well with more ease. |
ARTIST STATEMENT
After many years of painting, my medium has changed to ceramics as a vehicle for artistic expression. Although my medium has changed, many of my interests have remained the same. Color is extremely important to me. Growing up surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and the colorful colonial architecture of Savannah, Georgia had a big influence on my art. The paintings of Gauguin , Van Gogh, and Emil Nolde as well as Rothko, Olitski, and other abstract expressionists, have influenced my paintings and ceramics. For my ceramics, Brother Thomas’ work has been a major inspiration.
I like forms that are minimal, with an unbroken fluid line, and are refined and elegant. The drama of forms resting on a small foot that seem to defy gravity excites me. In the bowls, platters and vessels I make, I am searching for what is basic and essential. It is my intention that the work has a sculptural presence.
I work on the potter’s wheel and also do hand building, sometimes combining these methods. My work is planned. I begin by sketching in a loose way and use photographs of the work of potters I admire as a visual stimulus. Also I do scale drawings which can function as a blueprint for the work. To achieve a larger scale I throw a piece in sections. When it is leather hard, I join the sections and work to achieve a smooth, unblemished surface.
I really enjoy the physicality of working with clay to create beautiful objects from raw elements. Porcelain and white stoneware are the clays I use. I love the silky feel of porcelain on my hands, its pristine quality, and the many challenges it presents in creating geometric and balanced forms. To complement the forms, I want to use glazes which are painterly, vibrant, and sensuous. The subtlety and depth of high-fired gas reduction glazes relate to my modernist aesthetic. I love those elusive copper reds, grayed-green celadons, rich brown tenmoku, and other glazes that move, pool and crystallize.
My work is successful when it transcends the mundane or ordinary, is appreciated for its uniqueness and specialness, and brings joy and serenity to the viewer.
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I like forms that are minimal, with an unbroken fluid line, and are refined and elegant. The drama of forms resting on a small foot that seem to defy gravity excites me. In the bowls, platters and vessels I make, I am searching for what is basic and essential. It is my intention that the work has a sculptural presence.
I work on the potter’s wheel and also do hand building, sometimes combining these methods. My work is planned. I begin by sketching in a loose way and use photographs of the work of potters I admire as a visual stimulus. Also I do scale drawings which can function as a blueprint for the work. To achieve a larger scale I throw a piece in sections. When it is leather hard, I join the sections and work to achieve a smooth, unblemished surface.
I really enjoy the physicality of working with clay to create beautiful objects from raw elements. Porcelain and white stoneware are the clays I use. I love the silky feel of porcelain on my hands, its pristine quality, and the many challenges it presents in creating geometric and balanced forms. To complement the forms, I want to use glazes which are painterly, vibrant, and sensuous. The subtlety and depth of high-fired gas reduction glazes relate to my modernist aesthetic. I love those elusive copper reds, grayed-green celadons, rich brown tenmoku, and other glazes that move, pool and crystallize.
My work is successful when it transcends the mundane or ordinary, is appreciated for its uniqueness and specialness, and brings joy and serenity to the viewer.
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ARTIST BIO
Harriet Zabusky-Zand attributes her lifelong love of art and craft to the early influence of her parents. "My art education began as a child accompanying my father on weekly sketching trips around beautiful colonial Savannah and neighboring fishing villages.” Her mother was a prolific craftswoman who did quilting and needlepoint.
Harriet has been a professional artist for more than 35 years, initially as a weaver and then as a painter, printmaker, sculptor and, most recently, as a potter.
Ms. Zabusky-Zand received a Diploma in Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Massachusetts College of Art. Abstract Expressionism was a major influence on her work as a painter. The sense of infinite space, luminous sensuous color, and allusions to landscape allowed for the expression of her Buddhist beliefs.
Her love of color has continued to be expressed in her pottery. “What is important to me in my pottery are fluid forms and colorful glazes. Some of my work is functional and meant to be used in daily living. Some, while thrown on the wheel, is meant to be sculptural and decorative.”
Ms. Zabusky-Zand's art has been exhibited widely in the United States and in England. Her work is included in the Gillette Corporation collection, the Sonesta Sonnabend collection, the Westin Hotel, Accenture, Mohegan Sun Casino, Marriott Hotels, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, and many other corporate and private collections in the United States and England.
After years of wintering in Savannah, Harriet moved full time to Savannah from Cape Cod in 2020.
Harriet has been a professional artist for more than 35 years, initially as a weaver and then as a painter, printmaker, sculptor and, most recently, as a potter.
Ms. Zabusky-Zand received a Diploma in Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Massachusetts College of Art. Abstract Expressionism was a major influence on her work as a painter. The sense of infinite space, luminous sensuous color, and allusions to landscape allowed for the expression of her Buddhist beliefs.
Her love of color has continued to be expressed in her pottery. “What is important to me in my pottery are fluid forms and colorful glazes. Some of my work is functional and meant to be used in daily living. Some, while thrown on the wheel, is meant to be sculptural and decorative.”
Ms. Zabusky-Zand's art has been exhibited widely in the United States and in England. Her work is included in the Gillette Corporation collection, the Sonesta Sonnabend collection, the Westin Hotel, Accenture, Mohegan Sun Casino, Marriott Hotels, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, and many other corporate and private collections in the United States and England.
After years of wintering in Savannah, Harriet moved full time to Savannah from Cape Cod in 2020.
CONTACT INFO
Visit Harriet's website is www.featsofclayceramics.com and her gallery/studio which is located at 817 East 69th Street, at the corner of Sutlive St., Savannah 31405. The gallery is open Tuesday-Friday from 2:00 to 5:00 PM or by appointment. Telephone 508-737-0945.