9 Beautifully Crafted Ceramic Vases Merging Tradition With Modern Elements

Maxwell Mustardo has made a name for himself creating receptacles, urns and vases using a blend of traditional and modern styles. His pieces are vibrant and distinctive designs crafted using a fusion of ceramics and plastics.  

#1 Quasi Neoclassicalish Installation

#2 Lefebvre & Fils Installation

 

In an interview, Mustardo revealed that he was saved from a life of delinquency when he was unprecedentedly exposed to ceramics. He was primarily interested in movies and was due to begin a film course in high school but was unexpectedly declined, which led to him reluctantly accepting a ceramics course. Soon after he began, he realized he was enjoying the material and was brought to Toshiko Takaezu’s studio in Quakertown, New Jersey, where he still currently works. Mustardo went on to declare, “Meeting Toshiko & Betty Woodman & many others making a life with clay really cemented the notion that this was not only possible but exciting and enriching as well.”

#3 Amongst large amphorae

#4 Green Amphora

Speaking on the inspiration behind these unusual vessels, Mustardo explained “I am interested in the history of art, crafts, & ceramics. Much of my work pulls from specific movements, objects, cultures, or makers. These references are mixed with a visual vocabulary of forms & surfaces that I have been developing since undergrad.”

#5 Lavender Krater

#6

#7 Maxwell Mustardo

 

Elaborating further on the creative process involved in bringing his vision to fruition, Mustardo divulged, “I tend to work on many iterations of many projects at once- I enjoy a storm of activity as it tends to have a cross-pollinating effect. Ideas flow a bit more freely.”

#8 Green Pitcher

#9 Lefebvre & Fils Installation

In a statement, Mustardo disclosed, “I approach making as a vital opportunity to examine perception and signification. My work engages with ceramics as a polyphonic medium: one that speaks in multiple voices simultaneously. By working within simple constraints, such as the format of the mug, vase, or torus, I explore orchestrating elements of surface, form, materiality, and function. Many projects revolve around broad, reverential notions of the vessel, the body, and language. Attempts are made to continually dissect processes, revisit forms, and reframe themes to agitate evolution and antagonize static thinking. Objects are focused upon as vital witnesses and participants, reflections and poems, animate and imagined.”