ABOUT
Kaitlyn Cushing is a functional ceramicist born in Denver and raised in Highlands Ranch, CO. She is attending Colorado Mesa University as a Bachelor of Fine Art candidate. She works primarily with clay creating double-walled functional forms that are pierced and carved revealing the negative space in between. Inspired by artists Will Talbot, Eric Stearns, Taketoshi Ito, Cushing’s art reflects her interest in the intricacy and detail of the natural world and the implications of this in her faith. Cushing is active on campus in the ceramics community attending clay workshops and lectures, working the CMU 437 CO Ave art gallery, and helping lead and plan CMU’s Clay Club. Her work has been in the 2024 Dirty South Cup Call in LA and the 32nd Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National in PA.
Artist's
Statement
My work centers on the creation of double-walled forms that are deeply inspired by the intricacy and intentionality of nature. Each piece is a tribute to the craftsmanship of creation itself. While functional, each form draws your focus and invites viewers to engage with its multifaceted structure, the carvings and cutouts channeling your gaze into the space between.
Throughout my life, I’ve found God reflected in nature, where every leaf, every sunrise, and every fleeting moment of light seemed to whisper a message of purpose and intentionality. This perception has become the foundation of my artistic practice. The carvings and cutouts are inspired by these details: the mundane, the microscopic, and the pieces of our world that were intentionally handcrafted. I find beauty in small things, the veining of leaves and the webbing of a dandelion…. the detail of the world around us.
I depict these patterns through piercing and carving through the exterior layers of these forms, creating a sense of hovering and depth by the space between the outer and inner walls. Clay, as a medium, offers a unique interplay between material and process, yielding to my hands and revealing the strength and subtlety of clay. As an artist, I seek to meld functional work with the delicacy that is formed when carvings pull light into the space between walls, between what you can see and what’s hidden behind.