New Arrival: Heather Gabriel Ceramics

I immediately fell in love with Heather Gabriel's work the moment I saw it.

It has an unassuming,simple quality I look for constantly in all objects-and it looks like it's been through battle-also a plus.

Recently arrived in the shop are 8 small bowls handmade by Gabriel in the Hudson Valley of New York. Each one has different marks, crackles, and textures that come from the ash and smoke held in the kiln they're fired in.

It's hard to imagine tainting their organic, raw perfection by filling them with any other items at all, but the size is perfect for holding small things like jewelry, salts, or spices. They also look beautiful just sitting empty.

"All of the work you see here is fired with wood, either in a primitive pit, or in a japanese-style tunnel kiln. The colors are a result of the clay and stone reacting with the smoke, flame, and ash of the wood burned within the kiln. The clay is made from local materials, the river stones and sands come from the hills and valleys outside of my home
and the metals used in the sculptural works are gleaned from abandoned fields and industrial sites throughout the Hudson Valley."-Heather Gabriel

Gabriel was born in Bronxville, New York. 

After a few years spent as a field geologist she began an independent course of study in studio ceramics and metal work,learning from and working with artists across the country. In 2004, she returned to the Hudson Valley and became a resident of The Byrdcliffe Guild in Woodstock, New York.
She currently resides in the Hudson Valley.