acase@tulane.edu / It is of paramount importance to me as a maker to marry art and craft within the confines of function. I make porcelain objects with specific physical uses in mind. I develop my work to address aspects of aesthetics and design simultaneously. The relationship we have with handmade pottery is unlike that of other art objects. It is personal, relational, and intimate. As such, I create sculptural vessels intended for physical use. I draw great inspiration from the natural world. My vessels are imbued with volume, and are reminiscent of organic life forms. I am fascinated with the plumpness of sea tunicates, flower ovaries and seed pods. I am intrigued by the ethereal depth of cloud formations. I heavily manipulate my wheel thrown forms by hand to incorporate a quality of pillowy fullness within an organized but imperfect formal structure. I stretch and push the clay into billows, and bind these structures with a criss-crossing of geometric lines to create convex swells within the walls of each vessel. I glaze each piece to accentuate the form, and have utilized colors from the natural world that complement the external curves of the vessels. As a functional artist, I strive for the vessels that I create to have a dual purpose. We fill our lives with objects; I want my contribution to our world to be simultaneously elegant and utilitarian. / 1 / Danielle B. Inabinet