Adam Helenske

I feel that humanity is improved with social awareness, and that knowledge and understanding are found in physical human interactions.  I want to facilitate healthy/ happy experiences among groups; friends, family and strangers.  Thus, I concentrate on making pots for cooking and serving food, as I believe meals are an important part of our lives’ offering nourishment to our bodies and our connections with neighbors.

I use the potter’s wheel as a starting point in making functional vessels.  I enjoy building pots using multiple thrown forms and hand built additions.  In this way I approach each form thinking of the space that it contains as well as the space it will consume within its environment. 

The process of firing a kiln and turning earth into ceramic excites me.  I appreciate the connection between the materials used, clay and heat, and the natural volcanic processes that formed our Earth’s crust.  For this reason I prefer to leave the pot’s exterior raw, utilizing the atmosphere inside the kiln to add depth and variation across the surface of each pot. 

During my time at Pottery Northwest I have been working with soda glazing and have become fascinated in the variety of textures and colors that can be created by firing with soda vapor.

The completed process of shaping a clay form, glazing, firing and the final execution of function is what inspires me to work in clay.  Being able to, as one person, make objects from start to finish with my hands is important to me.  And using the most basic elements of raw earth and fire to create a tangible expression of myself is a great motivation to continue working with clay.