Sarah's Sculptural Beauties
Sarah Milstein and I met in a class at Clay by the Bay, where we’re both members. I’ve seen her work grow from vases and tableware to beautiful sculptural pieces that vary between abstracts and everyday objects such as ceramic Post-it notes, paper bags, and face masks. One of my favorite pieces of hers is a gigantic marshmallow that looks like it was toasted in a bonfire. I liked it so much I bought it and took it home with me!
Sarah and I had a great chat recently and I got to photograph some of her lovely pieces…read on for more…
Q: What do you like about clay and ceramics?
“I like how clay is so different from any other medium. It really gets you out of your head. And I’m really in my head all of the time… (Sarah’s a lawyer in her day job). The sculptures that I do that are of an object, I’m still in my head, but the pieces that I do that involve more physicality (see her abstracts below), the less I’m in my head.
Clay is really forgiving…which I often forget. This is so cheesy, but I really feel like clay has a lot of parallels to life…it does have memory, but it’s also very forgiving. It does what it wants to do, but you can control it…but it doesn’t always want you to…and doing things like cutting a sculpture in half can be kinda scary, especially if you’re really attached to it because there’s always the risk that it might fail. There are a lot of lessons in clay. Not to be too attached.”
Q: Do you have a favorite ceramic artist (or two)?
“When I was younger I was pretty obsessed with Claes Oldenburg—I don’t think ceramic was a primary medium, but I’ve always appreciated how he makes every day objects come to life, often larger than life.
Johnson Tsang’s work is incredible, and I recently discovered Emma Luna’s stacked ceramic rags and laundry that I just love. I clearly have a thing for Trompe-l’oeil.”
Q: Favorite quote?
““Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.””
Q: What’s the next direction for you and your work?
“I’d like to start making bigger sculptures; I’m currently working on a stack of bags, which if successful, I hope provides a commentary on waste and consumerism.”
I’ve seen Sarah’s ceramic paper bags—they’re amazing! Check out her work on Instagram: @sarahmilli.
Sarah Milstein
