Alice Federico

Ceramic #2013

Alice Federico was born in Selma, Alabama in 1945. She received a BA degree in history from Hollins University in 1967, an MFA in ceramics from East Carolina University in 1977, as well as a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute in 1983. Trained first as a historian, historical pots have always influenced her work. That influence includes Chinese Sung ware, Greek vases and Italian folk work. But it was researching the crisp forms and simple glazes of English potter Dame Lucie Rie which gave her hours of pleasure. Federico’s work is always anchored in the vase form as thrown on the potter’s wheel. Small necks, longshanks and bulbous bellies are her hallmark. They are derived from the historical form. Her surfaces, also, are singular. The dark grainy surfaces of 10 years ago and the bright palate she uses are the results of experimenting with raw materials such as talc, feldspar and dolomite. Her forms move and gesture and the color is bright and abstract. It is as though she is deconstructing the influences she embraced.