In the world of ceramics, where artistry meets emotion, Michelle Griffoul has an appreciation for a unique niche of artists incorporating a deeply personal element into their pottery: the ashes of deceased loved ones. Though not a service she offers, Michelle’s previously experimented with integrating ashes into her clay. These glazes from artists have sparked both curiosity and reflection within the artistic community.
Michelle Griffoul is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of traditional ceramic art. With over fifty years of experience as a potter, tile designer and manufacturer, she has explored nearly every facet of working with clay, from high-fired masterpieces to intricately detailed tiles. Trained in ceramics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including a formative year in Florence, Italy, Michelle has honed her craft to blend the technical precision of a manufacturing engineer with the creativity of a painter.
Her journey into using ashes began informally, spurred by a personal exploration of how different types of ashes could influence the outcome of her pottery. Typically, ashes are finely ground into a powder and mixed into the glaze, which then undergoes firing in a kiln. During this process, the ashes melt and become fused into the glaze, leaving a subtle, often invisible, but deeply meaningful trace of the deceased within the finished piece.
Reflecting on her early experiments, Michelle recounts an impactful moment when she and a fellow artist used ashes from several urns to create pottery. Each set of ashes yielded a distinct result, creating unique patterns and textures that transformed the pottery into personalized art pieces. This experience highlighted for Michelle the profound potential of ceramics not just as decorative objects, but as vessels of memory and emotion. Instead of making the urns to hold the ashes, the glazed urn becomes the actual urn.
In recent years, the practice of incorporating ashes into various forms of art has grown in popularity. Beyond pottery, ashes have been used in infused glass jewelry, incorporated into artworks, and even embedded into tattoos. This trend reflects a broader cultural shift towards finding new, personal ways to remember and honor loved ones after they have passed.
Michelle acknowledges that while her experiments with ashes have been deeply meaningful, they are also intensely personal. She emphasizes that her interest lies more in artistic exploration rather than offering it as a commercial service. For her, each piece created with ashes tells a unique story, blending artistry with a tangible connection to someone’s life and memory.
As cremation rates rise and people seek alternative ways to commemorate their loved ones, Michelle Griffoul’s view serves as a poignant reminder of the power of art to capture and preserve the essence of those who have passed. Her continued exploration of clay and glazes not only challenges artistic norms but also enriches the lives of those who commission her work, offering them a lasting tribute that transcends traditional forms of remembrance.
Michelle Griffoul encourages clay becoming more than just a medium—it can become a canvas for memories, a testament to lives lived, and a celebration of the enduring bonds between individuals. Through art, Michelle invites us to reconsider how we honor and cherish the ones we have loved and lost, inviting us into a realm where creativity meets compassion in the most profound of ways.
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