Friday Feature: Silvie Granatelli : Elisa DiFeo Sylvie Granatelli, Floyd, VA: “It was easy from the beginning to work with Elisa DiFeo. Her assertion to become a good potter, a teacher and a designer were all evident from the start. Elisa has bountiful energy, so much so that she sometimes had problems taking too much on. I was my job in the early years of our relationship to help guide her to focus on life in the studio. She came to appreciate the rhythms and rewards of a throwing and kiln cycle, the riffling off of new work to develop an idea. Now we talk frequently about new work with its technical challenges. We talk about life changes, such as where to settle down and build a new studio life. It’s an easy exchange. I admire her dedication to develop new work and her ability to help raise two young daughters. I admire her determination still.” Elisa DiFeo, Floyd, VA: “I started working for Silvie at a time when I was seeking new life and studio experiences. Living in a rural setting was completely new and foreign to me. Surrounded by the rich, fertile Virginia farmlands, I found myself inspired by food. I was exploring functional forms in the studio, and developing an understanding of how a potter runs their studio practice. While working for Silvie, the assistant and her eat lunch almost everyday at precisely noon. When I was younger and working in the studio, I was less attentive to eating and would usually just grab something and keep working as if I didn’t have enough time. In the intimate setting of her home, I was inspired by this ritual and the pots in her kitchen. Included in her cabinets was a small collection of toast racks. I found these functional objects, basic in their design, a way to explore the idea of function in more intuitive, sculptural, and thoughtful way.”
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:00:01 +0000
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