about

about

Giselle Hicks is a ceramic artist based in Helena, Montana, and has been working in clay for 26 years.

She makes hand-pinched vessels inspired by sculpture, paintings, and iconic forms throughout ceramic history. These vessels are formal explorations of shape, volume, color, and composition.

The slow and rhythmic forming process employs few tools, yielding fresh, dynamic silhouettes. The opaque glaze is soft to the touch, and fingerprints remain on the clay surface, celebrating the imperfections and idiosyncrasies of the handmade object. Giselle works with galleries, design shops, and interior design firms to place work in hotels, restaurants, and homes.

Originally from Southern California, Hicks received her BFA from Syracuse University and her MFA from Alfred University in New York.

She has participated in various artist-in-residence programs, including the Anderson Ranch Art Center, the Arts/Industry Program at the Kohler Company, The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Greenwich House, and The Archie Bray Foundation.

Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The John Michael Kohler Art Center, the Bellevue Art Museum, the Southwest School of Art, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

The Process

This series of coiled-and-pinched vessels came from a self-imposed assignment to make something using only a few tools. I hope that the finished piece reflects my skill and control of the material while acknowledging the limitations and idiosyncrasies of my hands and body.
Step 1

I begin a day in the studio by making a few sketches, wedging clay, and rolling a pile of coils.
Step 2

I work on 10 - 15 forms simultaneously, rotating from one to another as they stiffen enough to continue building up the thin walls.
Step 3

Finishing a group of vessels takes about two days. Typically, I work in this rhythm for two weeks before I have enough work to fire.
Step 4

Once the vessels are dry, they are loaded and fired in a bisque kiln, allowed to cool for a day, then sanded and washed in preparation for the glaze application. I dip the pots into a large glaze bucket to get a thick and even coating.
Step 5

All the work is then fired in an electric kiln to 2230 degrees (cone 6).