My name is Krista Roberts and I am a ceramic artist. I am a lot of things actually but, for now, I’ll focus on my art and why it’s important to me.

  I’ve explored different styles to decide what I wanted to say with my art, and different mediums to decide how I wanted to say it.  I’ve even made a few pieces that I was proud of.  One particularly large and difficult illustration I had framed and hung it on a wall.  I remember stepping back from it, crossing my arms and thinking, “Okay… now what?”.  It was finished.  I had lovingly created a thing, set it free into the world like a dove, watched it fly to a nearby branch and… sit there.  Forever.  I felt strangely disconnected from a piece of art that I had JUST finished creating. It’s taken me a long time to understand this part of myself but I get it now: I prefer to make art that can be used and interacted with.  Pieces that have a place in my life, preferably a place in my EVERYDAY life, mean more to me than an illustration that I can only admire from a distance.  Perhaps it’s because these pieces become tangible parts of my memories.  I don’t remember the specific wall art in a café but I DO remember cradling a cute, warm mug while I talked with a friend.  

Objects that inspire comfort, both physically and visually, are the most memorable to me so I strive to include these qualities in my work for others.  Any new form is tested and tweaked until it accurately performs the task that I designed it for.  Bold colours or crystalline glazes are poured and painted to create a surface design that is unique to each piece.  Finally, all unglazed surfaces are hand sanded until they are soft and smooth to the touch. 

Success for me is not becoming a famous artist with collectors who scramble to purchase my art for thousands of dollars, as appealing as the fame and fortune sounds.  My pieces might never sit in the display case of an extravagant museum as part of an exhibition of affluent potters.  Instead, I want my pieces to become a part of someone’s life.  Knowing that my pieces are being used and enjoyed is one of the best feelings I can have.  That, to me, is success.