Reflecting the elusive Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, Raku provides spontaneity and an absence of predictability, serving as a foil for the carefully crafted vessels that deMott hand builds. Sculpturally, their form is simple and asymmetrical, pushing the limits with their thin walls. Her influences include the glazes of ancient East Asian ceramics, as well as the aesthetics of Modernism.
In spring, 2007, de Mott had a solo exhibition at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai, CA, and was awarded an Artist's Residency. There, de Mott researched luster firing using Wood's library, studio, and kilns, seeking ways to incorporate luster with Raku. Luster firing has added another dimension to her work. Now it has come full circle: de Mott approaches color in her ceramics as she did in painting by using layered glazes, and turning to multiple firing to achieve organic, earthy surfaces.
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