Lael Chmelyk, Calgary

Craft objects can act as a conjugate for ideas and concepts, and through their function, those ideas become a part of the everyday domestic experience. My functional soda fired pots have contrasting surfaces that create tension between geometry and organic patterns. Areas of quiet and overwhelm in the decoration invite touch and offer the user a moment of pause and intimate investigation. Referencing botany, I look to understand my place in the world’s classifications. I attempt to catch the user’s attention, to render them in the present through chance or rituals. The intent is to give one the chance to question the place of plants in beauty - but also the place of the environment in one’s values.

By using a soda kiln, I can allow for the kiln and its unexpected nature to share agency over the work. This also echoes the balance between control and chaos that we, as a society, attempt to force on our environment. My work illustrates this balance through moments of chance and instances of control in a duet with the kiln. This balance is central to the work and allows for the ornate surfaces to exist on the forms without overwhelming the experience.

I have been working in clay for fourteen years and receives a BFA in Ceramics from Alberta University of the Arts in 2020. I spent two months as a Flex Resident at the Medelta International Artist Residency developing a body of atmospheric fired work. I teach ceramics classes at local community studios, while maintaining my own studio practice. Using the lens of craft, I use my work is a catalyst to larger conversations of how we seek comfort in rituals and how we navigate our lives as modern women.