The Work of Layna Mattson

In the Her Own Words:

My direction in clay oscillates between two separate bodies of work, functional pottery and figurative sculpture.

My functional work is largely aimed at creating very stackable dishware that contributes to happiness and simplicity within a home. The key focus of my functional work is to replace the plastic objects found in my customers’ homes with high quality and high vibrational stoneware pieces. Keeping my price point as reasonable as possible is a huge part of my work as well. I want the people in my community to be able to afford and use my work as part of daily life.

Beyond dishware, I enjoy creating objects that lend themselves to the atmosphere of the home and to the spiritual practice of its inhabitants. The overlap between my pottery and sculptural work lies in the incense burners, scrying bowls and varied magical implements. Candelabras and oil lamps illuminate my sculptures of goddesses and mythical creatures. Incense burns within deified depictions of mothers and children. I love the myths and lore of all previous cultures, the deities from all over the world. Any image that is considered holy or supernatural in any tradition is fascinating to me. In both my Sculptural and functional pursuits I strive to incorporate naturally occurring materials from the town I live in. Ash from the woodstove, clay from the creeks, rocks crushed for glaze components.