WORKS
A Potter’s Process Valerie Seaberg uses a variety of techniques for a stunning effect. — By Erika Dahlby Photography by Ryan Dorgan
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hen Valerie Seaberg finishes a piece of pottery she doesn’t send it out right away. She picks it up again, looks at in different lights and from different angles. And then she goes into one of her states of mind that she has while making pottery: mouse mind and eagle eye. While in mouse mind she’s hyper-focused on one thing: what’s right in front of her, smoothing clay, drilling holes, trimming frizzy horsehairs, or weaving. But then she sets the piece down, steps back about five feet and asks herself, “Is this the direction I want to go in for this piece?” After looking at the piece, whether it’s a crackled vase, a decorative wave, or a functional mug, she’ll return to that mouse mind to complete the next task. “I think it’s very important to be fluid in that way as an artist,” she said. “It’s easy to get lost in the fascination of the activity. You can get stuck on a certain idea and that can be suffering. It’s important to remain curious about what’s happening between me and the material.” Sometimes when she walks into the studio it’s completely clear what she’s going to make, and other times the piece will transition into something else during the process. 24
I M A G E S W E S T 2016
The final step in finishing Valerie Seaberg’s pieces is the slow, careful weaving of horsehair around the rim of the fired ceramic work.