Jennifer Falter

Bio
Jennifer Falter co-owns Springfield Pottery with her husband Nathan. She earned her BFA in ceramics from Missouri State University and has also been an adjunct professor at MSU in the Department of Art and Design.

Jennifer’s work can be found in several galleries throughout the region and in many private collections. She is primarily a potter who enjoys making functional, yet decorative porcelain pots, encased in a tactile, sgraffito or carved surface. Her love of pattern making, line, and mark making, appear in both her narrative, light-hearted pieces and in the quiet, nature-inspired wares.

Jennifer and Nathan have also completed two large scale mosaic murals within the city of Springfield. “The Garden” is a 12’x16’ mosaic in downtown Springfield on the south side of Wheeler’s Furniture and two 60 foot mosaic snakes inhabit the Diversity of Life building at the Springfield Dickerson Park Zoo.

Artist Statement
I strive to make pots that others will enjoy using. My craft as a potter allows me to both create and embellish. The potter’s wheel is my chosen tool for creating clean, classic, and uncomplicated porcelain vessels dressed in intricate pattern.

I am attracted to the purity and challenge that porcelain offers to its user. The pure white canvas of this clay provides a striking contrast to the layers of liquid black slip that coat my surfaces. After all layers are applied, I sgraffito the entire surface with a small loop tool to expose the clay and bring my imagery to life. My designs are my collection of favorite patterns, images, memories, or stories. The subjects I prefer have two volumes: quiet, nature inspired imagery or whimsical, light-hearted, narrative pictorials. Enveloping my pots in this detailed imagery creates a marriage of surface and form.

My pieces invite the viewer to investigate through touch, sight, and use. I hope others enjoy my handmade pieces and incorporate them into their life, routine, family gatherings, or traditions. They are for them to enjoy using, passing down or just simply to adorn their own surroundings.