Through sculptural lamps, jars, and vessels that bridge the narrowing divide between contemporary art, craft and utilitarian objects, Paige Valentine’s ceramic works confront an ever-virtualizing world with objects imbued with emotion and nostalgia. Formed as coil-built pieces that are then dried, glazed and fired in a specialized process called soda firing, in which sodium bicarbonate is pumped into a 2300+ degree kiln environment, coating works and yielding incredibly rich and unpredictable finishes, Valentine’s domestic-inspired objects create moments of joy and humor from everyday interactions.

With a predisposed interest in ritual and repetition, Valentine’s new series of freestanding lamps and wall-mounted sconces were inspired by the acts of remembrance and protection embodied in the lighting of church candles. Enamored by the luminous glow of these symbols of safety and community, Valentine utilizes the opacity and transparency of differing clay bodies to hold a similar warmth. By insetting thinly glazed porcelain tiles within ceramic, the tiles, when illuminated, glow with a radiance akin to the church candles that inspired them. Painting each white porcelain tile with a personal, figurative image in black glaze, Valentine embraces contrast; balancing the starkness, delicacy and materiality of each tile with an emotional weight and timelessness.

Finding inspiration in her own day to day, Valentine’s tiles are populated by whimsical portraits of her dog Millie, flower bouquets collected on local walks or a pair of homemade owl-shaped cookies. Further layering imagery and form, Valentine carefully grafts these tiles into beveled openings within her sculptural lamps and sconces, some taking on tree-like structures in which a tile nestles into a verdant canopy, others a wall-based rectangular shape, accentuated with gestural dabs of clay applied to the surface, or as a carved log. Through these utilitarian sculptures, Valentine speaks to her inventiveness, playfulness and investment within the histories and techniques of ceramics as a medium while also creating poignant forms that speak directly to the human experience.