Biography

Staci DeBolt is a ceramic artist currently teaching classes at the Fountain Square Clay Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.  She received her undergraduate degree in ceramics from the Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, followed by a two-year artist in residency program at The Carbondale Clay Center in Colorado.  Staci has had the privilege of studying at the Chautauqua School of Art in New York, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, and The Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. 

Artist Statement

As a mom of two magical little boys,  I have read a mountain of children’s books to cultivate a love for learning and imagination in their ripe hearts and minds.  These books have powerful storytelling abilities by using whimsical drawings that are unafraid to convey high energy and emotion.   In turn, they have also dramatically expanded my ceramic work.  I have learned to tell stories by using a variety of patterns, objects, and forms that have developed over time and repetition.  These things gradually become more playful and imaginative as I learn to stop limiting what is possible.  My stories have been inspired by kayaking with sea turtles, caring for my newborn baby, and cooking pancakes with my Grandma.   

I strive to create interest by pushing visual space.  The color and black Mishima lines pop using a bright porcelain clay body.   An illusion of draping fabric is made with underglaze, scraffito, and slip trailing.  I sculpt objects that rest on top and sometimes fall over to sit around the base of the form.  Light is considered with incised shapes.  An invitation to explore is designed by partially veiling objects behind coats of paint, attached sprigs, and layered slabs.  

Encouraged by the fearless illustrated children’s book, I have a passion for making narratives with clay.  I hope that my work will cause wanderlust, curiosity, and moments to be more mindful of the ground beneath our feet and the stardust we are made of.