the Artist
Kimball Slade is an American artist living & working in Los Angeles, CA. Since a bipolar diagnosis in 2017, her practice has developed alongside her evolving worldview. She uses both conceptual artwork and functional ceramics to explore themes of self-identity, memory, and mental illness. Through abstract art, she explores otherwise inexpressible emotions; and with functional ceramics, she celebrates her own re-entry into a world she felt removed from for so long.
the Studio
Kimball Slade Studio was founded in 2022 out of a desire to incorporate as much art as possible into everyday life. I believe the items we touch casually as we go about our day are just as precious, if not moreso, than the ones we store away and only use on special occasions; and I think every opportunity to interact with beauty should be appreciated. Art and hosting are both great loves of my life, and Kimball Slade Studio has given me the opportunity to intertwine the two. Whether someone is visiting my home or using my ceramics in their own, I want them to feel considered, delighted, and loved.
It’s no small kind of magic to me that the pieces I make participate in the lives of others – that a part of me is with my parents, 1,000 miles away, when they serve their friends a meal on a platter I created, that my roommate always chooses to eat carbonara out of the same bowl, that a stranger purchased a candelabra from me as a wedding gift for her own friend who I will never meet. I feel lucky to be born, I feel lucky to be happy, and putting these objects into the world is how I celebrate the joys of life.
the Process
Each item out of Kimball Slade Studio is hand-built and reduction fired in a gas kiln, resulting in pieces that are, by nature, entirely unique and retain traces of the hand and fire that made them. The hand-building process is slower and more laborious than wheel-throwing or casting, but allows me to take a sculptural approach to each creation. I do not go in with a clear idea of what I am going to make; each piece arises spontaneously from the time spent on it, and the final result is often a surprise. This approach was initially uncomfortable for me, but has resulted in pieces with personality and a sense of life I never could have planned.
the Mission
I was born with the knowledge that I am an artist, and that is something I’m extremely grateful for. But as much as I believe in the value of art, I feel so indebted to people who were born to or chose to pursue a path that serves the world in a more direct and impactful way. As of 2024, 10% of each sale out of Kimball Slade Studio will be donated to charitable causes. For information on where the funds from your order will go, or to offer suggestions for causes you care about, please feel free to email contact@kimballslade.com.