Quirky & Unique

All work is made by Holly de Saillan. Please contact me to purchase or with any questions. hollydesaillan@gmail.com

Find my work on Etsy. HollydeSaillan https://hollydesaillan.etsy.com

“Clay, a product of the Earth has a responsiveness that is immediate & timeless. My expressions in clay go beyond my capacity for words. My expressions in clay come from my source, they are expressions from many levels; I do not even understand them all. This I find fascinating”

A bit about my work.

My current earth-inspired hand-formed porcelain work includes Flower Pods, Porcelain Fungi, Porcelain Niches, & Treasure Shrines. My functional sculptural stoneware work is created using Kurinuki a Japanese carving technique. I use this technique to create snack trays, serving vessels, sake cups and eating bowls. Each piece is slowly and carefully carved from a block of clay, evoking an organic quality made to highlight beauty of the food.

I mix my simple glazes using non-toxic materials and re-claim the majority of my clay.

Kurinuki is a subtractive sculpture technique. My work is not the traditional Japanese Kurinuki art form, it is the sculptural subtractive technique.

Below click on the individual photo for a better image.

Porcelain Niche

Porcelain Fungi

Porcelain Treasure Shrine

Porcelain Shrines in progress

Porcelain Shrine in progress.

Porcelain Shrines with objects

Porcelain Free-Standing Treasure Shrine

Flower Pods

Kurinuki Snack Trays in progress.

Kurinuki Snack Tray with garden tomatoes

Kurinuki Snack Tray with paper maché carrots.

Kurinuki Snack tray

Kurinuki Snack Tray

Kurinuki Snack Trays

Kurinuki snack tray with paper maché fishes and carrots

Kurinuki Snack Tray with cherries and blueberries and a space for the cherry stones.

Kurinuki Sake cup

Kurinuki Sake Cups

Kurinuki Cups

Kurinuki Eating bowls

Kurinuki Bowl with apples

Working

Bowls in progress

Kurinuki serving bowl in progress new decorative design.

Kurinuki Dwellings for Winter Village workshop

Kurinuki Snack Tray with garden tomatoes.

A bit about me.

BIO:

Before graduating from the University of Northern Colorado with her degree in ceramic arts, and her Master’s degree in Visual Art & Design, Holly de Saillan discovered her affinity for clay in her high school years. Clay has been her primary mode of artistic expression for over thirty years. Her inspirations come from her observations of the natural world, her travels and the history of ceramic art. Holly strives to allow the organic quality of clay to be a guiding force in her simple yet complex sculptural and functional work. Holly enjoys teaching ceramic workshops in Portland and still teaches Art Appreciation at Haywood Community College, NC remotely. Holly relocated to Oregon in 2020 and now happily resides in SE Portland, Oregon with her partner, her cat and Renard, a little dog recently adopted. She maintains studio space at Stark Street Ceramic studio.

Instagram @starkstreetstudios @https://www.instagram.com/hollydesaillan.clay.art/