Jonathan Kaplan




I make a variety of ceramic objects that celebrate both form and surface. I am not bound by any constraint in method or material, nor am I bound by any strict adherence to utility.

I use use many ways to create work; either assisted in some way by a method or procedure such as slip casting or pressing, or unassisted, using throwing or hand building. Often times, my ceramic work utilizes a combination. I have a very deep vocabulary of techniques that allow my imagination to run unbound by preconception or historical imperative. The possibilities for creative endeavor are truly unlimited.

Major influences upon my work are architecture and geometry. The majority of my ceramics can be viewed as vessel centric and all deal with ideas associated with containment. Strict utility or function may only be a reference derived from a specific shape or form. Sometimes I also integrate industrial parts and fittings to create a visual dialog between work that evidences the handmade and manufactured parts.

I have made a diverse body of work for most of my career. I am driven to make objects that are both highly designed and impeccably crafted. I look in awe at the symmetries of culture and am humbled by what remains as historical evidence in ceramics. With an acknowledgment of that deep history of ceramics, I endeavor to make choices in my work that will continue to engage and interest me as well as others. I am honored to be a part of this continuum. I constantly reinvent my work by challenging myself. My studio practice has evolved over many years and it is important to always include others with me on this journey.