Statement:

I approach my work in a way that features strong elements of pattern and form. I spend considerable time researching patterns in textiles, industry, nature and other artforms and then abstracting and transcribing them onto the surface of my pieces. The process of decorating surfaces is arduous but exciting, like watching the colors of a Polaroid slowly develop. Most objects start with a colorful riot of pattern painted on the surface with underglaze. These patterns could be an iteration of a Gee’s Bend Quilt, a Jaqueline Groag textile that I’ve studied, or inspired by 70’s fabric from my grandmother’s hand-me-down aprons.  Pattern is painted on the vessel and is layered over in paper stencils and then a fine coat of white slip.  I have an extensive library of hand-cut stencils that go back further than a decade that show modes and styles I’ve experimented with over the years. The stencils work as a theoretical window to the pattern beyond.  A “ghost” of the pattern fires up through slip, subtle and uncanny.  It is this “ghost” image that feels tender to me, like bare skin under a wet shirt, a surprise. I carve thorough these layers of slip, stencils, and color with thin, incised lines that follow contours and define the motif. I think about form a great deal, more so than I ever had in my career as an artist.  Years of making have caused me to become exceedingly specific towards the vessels I make. If my forms are not strong and balanced they cannot contain the exuberance of color/pattern.  Hand-feel has become all-important and my sensitivity to proportion is the task-master of practice. 

Bio:

Nikki Lewis is a Los Angeles based ceramic artist and educator who has worked in the ceramics field for over 30 years. She explores pattern, design, color theory, and narrative in her hand-built and thrown works.  Lewis has exhibited widely and lectures frequently on mid-century female ceramic artists, most notably at the Bauhaus Centennial in Weimar, Germany.  In addition to teaching and making, Lewis co-founded KL Projects with artist Katie Queen and has curated several contemporary ceramic exhibitions at local institutions.  Lewis holds her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, her MFA from UCLA and is Professor of Art at Mt. San Antonio College.

NIKKI LEWIS

Opening Reception:  August 22

• 4-5pm, Member/Artist Private Preview Reception

• 5-7pm Community Opening

Exhibit Dates:  August 22 - October 25, 2026

Sponsored by Buena Tile + Stone