Kaitlyn Getz Ozminkowski
BIOGRAPHY
Kaitlyn Getz Ozminkowski is an artist living in Carbondale, Colorado. Currently she is working as a frontline EMT but still commits time to her studio practice. She holds a BFA from Ohio University and a Post-Baccalaureate from Pennsylvania State University. She has previously been an assistant to artist Alleghany Meadows as well as interned with the Artstream Nomadic Gallery and Harvey Preston Gallery (previously Harvey/Meadows).She has been a Studio technician for Colorado Mountain College and an instructor with the Carbondale Clay Center. Before moving to Colorado she was a Program Assistant at the Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Maine as well as an Educational Assistant at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Her work has been exhibited nationally as well as internationally at the International Ceramics Studio in Hungary and can be found in numerous collections nationwide.
ARTIST STATEMENT
The archival nature of ceramic invites my mark-making to become a more permanent voice in inciting visual narrative. The weight that a ceramic object bares also plays into the metaphorical weight of the moments of pause, excitement, and recognition of human life that inspire me to be a maker. The surfaces I create upon objects are a reminder to viewers that another human was present in those moments and there is a lot of beauty in seeing each other. I believe that we are all in search of meaning, whether that be found in our day-to-day objects surrounding us or simply within a visual representation, this is where my work lives.
The materials that I choose to work with in ceramics deepen the experience of encountering these objects. The clay I choose to work from and the many glazes I select are intentionally chosen to represent their inherent permanence. The marks I make will live on much longer than myself and the viewer. I find meaning in the idea that the same calcium that makes up the very bones of my being are also present in the work I am making.
Q&A WITH THE ARTIST
Carbondale Clay Center (CCC): What’s your favorite beverage recipe?
Kaitlyn Getz Ozminkowski (KGO): Marble Mule
1.5 oz Marble Vodka
0.5 oz. Marble Gingercello Liqueur
0.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Big Splash Ginger Beer
Lime Slice, for garnish
Combine Vodka, lime juice, and Gingercello in a mixing glass with ice and mix. Pour over fresh ice in a Moscow Mule mug. Top with ginger beer and stir some more. Garnish with a lime slice. Cheers!
CCC: What influences your pots? What are you looking at or thinking about when making specific beverageware?
KGO: see images below
CCC: Is there a certain type of drinking vessel that you prefer making? Or one that seems to always be sought after by customers?
KGO: Ahhhh the almighty mug. I think the attractiveness of a small vessel like a mug is so easy to appreciate in all of its nuances and just about anyone can fit just one more mug in the ir cabinet. Mugs are also exactly where I begin when I come into making a round of pots, they’re small, familiar and still leave room to play around.
CCC: What keeps you inspired in the studio?
KGO: The exact opposite keeps me inspired in the studio-I spend a lot of time outside, whether that is a quick walk along the river or high up on a rock wall dangling on a rope. Every sunset, tiny color change, impressive plant and just about every texture known to humankind is fuel for the studio!
CCC: How do color, surface, and form influence your work? Does each of those design elements play equal roles in your making process? Is one emphasized over others?
KGO: COLOR! Color and texture/surface are incredibly important for me, form---eh, less important, I think a lot about gesture drawings and the impressionist movement when it comes to form. If you can get the idea of a cup, or some semblance of one, then that IS a cup. I emphasize color heavily as this is the more emotional powerhouse of connectivity with the audience.