In addition to producing beautiful, handcrafted uncommon goods, our artists often have uncommon stories as well. When we asked the creative and talented Alice Goldsmith to be one of the guest judges in our next design challenge, she not only happily obliged, but also warmly welcomed us to her studio.
Though Alice has been working as a professional potter for 15 years, her path to pottery wasn’t direct. But, she says each stage of her story has taught her valuable skills that contribute to her success today.
Originally certified and working as a nurse, her responsibilities in caring for others taught her the importance of following through; when she worked in clothing, she learned the art of selling. Connections in the clothing industry eventually led her to a catering job in New York. Cooking allowed her to experiment with the process of creating – as an artist, she now makes “recipes” for her own glazes and loves tweaking designs and pieces until they’re just right.
So what makes Alice’s ceramics so uncommon? In addition to her unique (and secret!) blend of materials, she believes the timelessness of her collections sets them apart. Combining a contemporary shape with a classic glaze for example, yields something that is versatile and useful.
In fact, Alice’s favorite part of the creative process is being able to see her work in use. Hailing from the Midwest, she attributes her upbringing to this appreciation of functionality.
Given her years of experience and clear knowledge of the craft, we’re thrilled to have Alice on board as a guest judge for our design challenge. Alice says she’ll be looking for, “attention to detail and quality. The pieces should show expertise of the hand, show quality detail and function easily.
If this sounds like work you produce, we’d love to see it! Our Uncommon Ceramics Design Challenge is officially open, and we’re accepting submissions through October 31. The winning grand prize winner will receive $500 and the chance to sign a vendor agreement with UncommonGoods.
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