Alligator Tears

Ellie Mitchell

Interview by L. Valena

July 24, 2022

Can you describe the prompt that you responded to?

The prompt that I responded to was an image of an eye. I believe it was an embroidered piece. It didn't exactly have concentric circles around it, but there was kind of an echo in that direction.

What was your first reaction to that?

I was so struck by the eye. I can't wait to see what inspired this piece, to see the whole chain. I want to see where the eye originated, or if it was always there. I feel like it's such a striking image, anyone who makes something based on mine will probably be struck by the same thing.

Where did you go from there?

When I work on the wheel, I usually let my forms become whatever they want to become. I rarely go into it knowing exactly what shape I'm going to make, but this time I definitely went into it with those concentric circles in mind. But at the same time, there's a little bit of flare and texture in the piece that I was given as a prompt. I wanted to create that texture as well. While the clay was still wet, I went in and frayed the edges a little bit so that it had more of an organic feel. So that was a really nice step in the process, actually putting clay on the wheel and making the form that I would then decorate.

Is that something you tend to do often? Fray the edges?

Yeah, I do that fairly often. There are always small things that you can do to make a piece unique. Whether that's in the stage of surface decoration or warping the form itself, I think that you can make really beautiful things out of asymmetrical forms too. A lot of making pottery is so focused on symmetry, making sure that everything is perfectly equal on all sides. I kind of like the idea of being able to warp it and make it obviously handmade.

What happened next?

After that there's a drying period, and refining the actual form. It goes into the kiln for the first time, to drain all of the moisture out of it for glazing. I had used a clay slip initially to create the color variation. Different colors of clay often have different reactions to the same glaze. So that's what creates that color gradient. From there I painted the eye and teardrops with underglaze, and then covered it all in Harrisburg glaze – that’s a very thin white glaze. The outside edge is covered in a glaze called Ahi -- like the tuna. That's why it's that pinkish color.

Do you see this as a functional piece, or is it strictly decorative?

All of the pieces that I make are functional -- they're all foodsafe too, which is kind of fun. I've been using it for one of my planters, to catch the water when I water my plants.

That's cool!

The frayed edges kind of grab the pot perfectly. So that's what I've been using it for. But actually, I sell my work, so I'll bring it with me when I go to market next month. See if someone wants to use it as a functional piece -- maybe a cereal bowl? People come up with all sorts of ways to use my work.

I love that you're using it to catch water, especially since there's this eye with tears at the bottom!

I never really thought about that, but it's a little bit poetic!

You said the imagery of the eye itself was really resonant for you. Is that imagery that you otherwise tend to work with?

Yeah. Funnily enough, I'm not much of a drawer or a painter, but when I do draw and paint I tend to draw eyes.

Whoa.

Yeah I thought that was so interesting! Because I've never successfully put eyes on a ceramic piece before. I've tried putting eyes on some pieces earlier, and the image didn't come out after it came out of the kiln -- it's kind of an unpredictable process. So I'd actually tried it, and it hadn't worked before. But this time when I did it, I decided to do a darker underglaze, and it worked.

That's wild, but on the other hand I'm not surprised. The prompt always chooses the artist, so there always seems to be some reason things end up the way they do. How does this piece relate to the rest of your work?

I think one of the unique things about my work is that every piece is one of a kind. I never really make a set, I never make things that match. I'm always interested in making something new, whether it's a new form, or a new type of item. Sometimes I make pitchers, for example, and it's nice to know that they're being used out there in the world. That someone picked it up, it resonated with them, and they want to have it in their home to pour lemonade on a hot day. I don't know where all of my pieces have scattered off to, but that's kind of a beautiful thing to me.

I had a challenge with this one. When you're working with clay, you have to get it to the exact right consistency for each step. The beginning steps are easy, because the clay is wet, and you can make any changes that you want. But the more it dries, the harder it is to make changes. So I actually had a little trouble with the clay drying too much, and I thought I was going to have to start over. But I decided that it would come out the way it's supposed to come out. If something cracks or breaks off, a lot of people will throw their work away. I like to either keep it that way, or make it into something a little different. So sometimes I repair cracks, or put pieces back together that had fallen apart in the kiln. So even though this piece doesn't have any obvious cracks in it, it has that same spirit. I just keep pushing on, and take out whatever comes to me from the kiln.

Do you have any advice for another artist approaching this project for the first time?

My only advice is to get into the studio. Whether you're putting pen to paper, or your medium is ceramics, photography or food. Whatever it is, get your hands dirty.

Call Number: Y83VA | Y87VA.miAlli

Ellie Mitchell is a ceramic artist who has been creating pottery for over 10 years. Her work is deeply influenced by nature and the interplay between humans and their environment. She currently lives, works, and teaches in Brookline, MA.