About Kim Donnet

Kim Donnet spent her childhood in the stunningly beauitiful and rural mountains of Washington State where she cultivated a love of nature, animals and hard work well done. She studied Interdisciplinary Visual Arts and Art History receiving her BA from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2009. For the past decade she's been a practicing ceramics artist while working in the museum and education field in Austin, TX. She re-located to Portland, OR in early 2017. "I was heavily influenced by the contemporary wave of functional potters who use their forms as a canvas for painting and drawing. I think of myself as both a painter and potter and once I realized I could combine the two mediums I found my calling."

Maker Statement

In my one-woman studio I create hand-thrown functional ware and sculpture using porcelain clay and variety experimental finishing techniques. Every piece I make is unique as I pursue and refine those nuances of the functional object. I'm always tweaking my methods and exploring new technology. I particularly enjoy using a screen-printing process to transfer my illustrations & photographs to my wares. I frequently use monochrome colors, graphic natural patterns and clear iconography to create a body of work that reflects my playful childhood fantasies, love of nature and animals. 

Embracing the balance between familiar forms and the idiosyncrasies of the handmade, I take joy in the textures, weight and sound that my ceramic pieces let the user through touch. I bring natural imagery to traditional forms to mimic the incongruities of the way we interact with the natural world. The human connection between maker and user gives me great joy. I often think about my work in homes all over the country and hope those use my ceramics at in their daily lives get a little joy out of the handmade as well.