AN EXPLORATION IN TEXTURE
Barbara Kinzle Christman is a self taught ceramic artist living and working in Portland, OR with her husband Steve and their young son, Alder. She follows in the footsteps of several generations of bonsai artisans. While not a bonsai artist herself, she grew up immersed in the visual language of that practice. After receiving a BFA at PNCA and years of experimenting with different mediums and artistic methods such as printmaking, painting, and sculptural installations, Barbara began to weave together her biggest passions: ceramic sculpture and native flora.
Her ceramic sculpture and plant containers are heavily influenced by the nuanced textures found in the natural world, and each piece is an experiment in capturing the spontaneous beauty of those textures and the feeling of ease that they emanate. Each hand built piece is designed to be a natural compliment to the plants or trees living in them.
She finds her Kusamono pots to be an especially fulfilling practice because of their expressive nature, and many of them are used as part of an ongoing collaboration designing Oregon native plant Kusamono with Zak of Plantzy Gardens and Designs.
Steven Kinzle Christman has had many years of experience sculpting and working in the bronze industry. He has an eye for capturing gesture in his work, and his academic background in architecture and ceramics is evident in his ceramic style. Steve approaches wheel thrown forms with ease, and his shapes often become the basis of a collaborative pot with Barbara. Steve’s signature style also shines through the technical aesthetic of his hand carved pot feet. Together Barbara and Steve are the artists behind Laichen Studio; their business name a German hint at the birth of an idea and a nod to Barbara’s heritage.
Zu DIE ERDE VERBUNDEN
- “Bound TO THE EARTH.”
OUR COMMITMENT TO THE EARTH
At Laichen Studio we are keenly aware of our impact on the planet as people and as a company. We strive to approach life with a cyclical philosophy of returning to the earth what we have taken from it. We pledge 3% of our profits to climate action and regenerative projects, and we commit to staying up to date on the latest information about how to most effectively spend those funds. We also realize that this pledge is a drop in the bucket. Moving the needle takes action from all of us; doing nothing is not an option.
As with many art mediums, there is a problematic element in ceramics of the resource extraction associated with it. Wood firing is one way to minimize our use of minerals like cobalt in our glazes, since the ‘glaze’ is created naturally in the firing process. Our aim is to build our own wood fired smokeless kiln and utilize scrap wood when possible. Any new updates on our mission to create a lighter footprint will be announced. If we don’t talk about it, then it’s not a movement!
If you have a vision for a container in a specific size, let’s talk.