Philadelphia based potter Robert Sutherland received his BFA in 2000 and his MFA in 2004 from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY. His wheel thrown and altered porcelain tableware is uniquely his. Asymmetrical bowls, tumblers and mugs serve as simple foils for the oftentimes complex, yet seemingly simple surface designs he creates. A Pebble like opaque glaze, juxtaposed with smooth clear colored glazes that cover incised linear patterns, create a beautifully tactile and varied surface. Sutherland's pots are incredibly contemporary and evocative. Their shape, palette, surface texture and design inspire contemplation and varied associations—topography, maps, landscape, sky.
Artist Statement
“A city like Philadelphia is full of excitement and houses a rich and long history, you can see it represented in the architecture and in it's many neighborhoods. Societies shift, some areas survive and some decline. As neighborhoods rise, fall and rise again the landscape changes, the demolition of one building reveals the structure of another. A simple thing such as a cup can be dismantled and it's properties as a functional object are revealed. I can put it back together and give it a new personal insight.”
— Robert Sutherland
