Biography
Linda Christianson is an independent studio potter who lives and works in rural Minnesota. She studied at Hamline University (St Paul, Minnesota), and the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts (Banff, Alberta, Canada). She exhibits nationally and internationally, including one-person exhibits in London and St. Louis. Her pieces are in numerous public and private collections, including the American Museum of Ceramic Art and the Glenboe Museum. An itinerate educator, Linda has taught at colleges and universities, including Carleton College and the Hartford Art School. She received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the McKnight Foundation. Her recent writing appeared in Studio Potter and The Log Book. One of her goals is to make a better cup each day.
Statement
A pot that captures my attention over time is not unlike a favorite book, revealing new layers of meaning each reading. The physical use of that pot is an added bonus. To hear the dull clunk of a spoon on a cracked but still serviceable favorite bowl is a delicate pleasure beyond words.
The exterior of an unglazed baking dish develops a rich warm patina through years of being hauled in and out of ovens. Perhaps these are some of the best attributes of contemporary pots that can only be revealed through daily use.
Having made pots now for about 30 years, I am surprised that it is still both hopeful and troublesome effort to make a decent pot. The parameters of pottery making require an acceptance of the confinement of utility. The qualities that I search for in my work are fairly straightforward. I am interested in a pot that does its duty well yet can stand on its own as a visual object. These pots are not sculpture, and they are not art. They seem to act more like engaging tools than anything else.
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