Hello!
I’m Esther, sole owner of InFlux Ceramics.
Running this small business definitely keeps me very busy! When I’m not in the studio or office, I try to get outside. Being surrounded by nature rejuvenates me, puts life into perspective, and sparks curiosity!
I also love traveling. The photo pictured was from a two week trip through Colorado and Wyoming with my husband Erik. We had great visits with family and friends and took time to explore new places along the way. We spent three nights camping in Yellowstone National Park and discovering the many worlds within it. Wandering across the boardwalks through the Norris Geyser Basin— witnessing geothermal activity and beautiful features—was simply incredible. Our minds were both completely blown! (Thankfully, they’re still intact, for the most part.)
You can read more about my journey with clay and find my artist statement below. Thanks for being here!
About me
Growing up the youngest of four children in central Minnesota, I was constantly making and creating in many different forms. As a teenager, I was first introduced to clay, instantly captivated by the feeling of it in my hands, as well as the process of transforming raw earth into beautiful, functional objects.
In 2011, my husband and I relocated from Chicago to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I studied at Santa Fe Community College, exploring different clays, surface techniques, firing temperatures, and glaze formulation. This time period was integral to developing my style and discovering my own way with clay.
When I signed up for a glaze formulation course, I had no idea what I was getting into. It’s a good thing, too, or I may not have done it! Glaze is tricky, to say the least. This course was one of the most formative courses in my education. I learned about glaze materials, mixing, testing, and firing glazes. With the beginning knowledge and hands on experience I gained, it set me up to go forward and develop my own glaze vocabulary. A few years later, I spent time testing glaze recipes and decided on my base glaze (clear) that I would use for my functional work. I then tested a number of colorants and different combinations with strategies I had learned. I couldn’t believe all the options! Then I just had to choose (That’s the hard part!). One can’t feasibly have 30 buckets of glaze in the studio, even though they are all potentially awesome! Most of the glazes I use now were discovered during this focused period of testing. When time allows, I continue to do tests and add new glazes when I feel they fit with the work I am inspired to make.
I have been making and selling ceramics professionally since 2014 and in 2018, founded InFlux Ceramics. I reside in rural Santa Fe, NM, with my husband Erik, also a ceramic artist (incredibly talented and visionary). His work is fascinating—you can find it here: www.erikhgellert.com. We are grateful to work from a shared clay studio, enjoying the surrounding wide open space and sky.
Artist Statement
As a maker working in clay, I am deeply committed to creating finely crafted ceramics that are functional as well as being beautiful objects in and of themselves. As my ceramic work inevitably changes, beauty and function remain the two constants that guide it. The forms my creative expression take steadily evolve as I sift through and process the influx of visual stimuli, my creative instincts, memories, and personal experiences-all of which inform my work. As I explore the interplay of form, pattern, texture, and color, I hope to create visually and tactilely interesting surfaces that invite touch and are a joy to use in everyday life.
In other words, I like to make stuff! It makes me happy that people enjoy what I make and they welcome it so lovingly into their lives.