FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local Interior Design Boutique to Host Artist Reception for Ceramist
LONG BEACH, CALIF., July 21 – “Sasha’s – Living with Style,” a home goods boutique on Broadway and Coronado, will host an artist reception for ceramist Emily Young on Saturday, August 8, 2015.
A writer and editor by profession, Young became interested in ceramics in 2004 when she visited Faenza, the cradle of ceramics in Italy. “I visited many studios, specifically the studio of Carlo Zauli. It’s preserved the way he left it, and glazes are left out as if he might walk back in at any minute. I was quite taken by the power of his ceramics,” said Young.
Upon returning to California, Young took a ceramics class and met the instructor with whom she has worked with for the past ten years. Although initially she was inspired by Zauli’s gigantic totems, Young’s ceramics can be held in the hand and are functional pieces, simple in form.
Young spices up the ceramics with surface decoration that is usually inspired by nature and her surroundings. Recurring themes in her work include leaves, flowers and mosaic-like designs. “I keep going back to geometric forms. It reminds me of the built world,” said Young. She is also drawn to the carving technique sgraffito and to brilliant turquoise hues, which coat several of her new pieces.
Her ceramics style has changed since she began. The pieces previously displayed at “Sasha’s – Living with Style” have all-black exteriors and glossy, brightly colored interiors. The new ones she will have on hand at the reception sport matte finishes for an earthier look. “I’ve been experimenting with leaving glaze off, letting [the pottery] be rough…There’s something about raw clay that appeals to me. I decided to make the finished form look unfinished,” said Young.
Young will be at “Sasha’s – Living with Style” from 6 to 9 p.m. on August 8 with around thirty examples of her high-fire stoneware and porcelain pottery. “I don’t often get to talk to the people who buy the pieces – they just sort of disappear and find new homes – so it [will] be nice to chat with people about ceramics.”
ABOUT EMILY YOUNG
Artist Emily Young first became interested in making pottery in 2004 during a trip to Italy’s historic ceramics center, Faenza. Emily’s pottery reflects her affinity for simple functional forms and juxtapositions in surface decoration – light versus dark, raw versus glazed, volume versus void. She is inspired by the beauty of nature as well as the art and architecture of classical antiquity and midcentury modern America.
ABOUT SASHA’S – LIVING WITH STYLE
“Sasha’s – Living with Style” is a boutique that sells home furnishings and accessories. Owner Sasha Witte also manages Sasha Witte Design, an interior design company that helps clients make the home their favorite destination. Amongst the vibrant array of merchandise, the boutique features art by local artists and artisans. Each month a new artist’s work is splashed on the walls and side tables, and an artist reception is held.
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