[{ "name": "Newsletter Promo", "id": "NewsletterPromo", "class": "inlineCenter", "insertPoint": "4", "component": "15264767", "requiredCountToDisplay": "0" },{ "name": "Ad - Medium Rectangle CC01 - 300x250", "id": "AdMediumRectangleCC01300x250", "class": "inlineCenter", "insertPoint": "8", "component": "2963441", "requiredCountToDisplay": "12" },{ "name": "Ad - Medium Rectangle LC01 - 300x250", "id": "AdMediumRectangleCC01300x250", "class": "inlineCenter", "insertPoint": "18", "component": "2963441", "requiredCountToDisplay": "22" },{ "name": "Ad - Medium Rectangle LC09 - 300x250", "id": "AdMediumRectangleLC09300x250", "class": "inlineCenter", "insertPoint": "28", "component": "3252660", "requiredCountToDisplay": "32" }]
Detailed is the word that jumps to mind when looking at Cambria artist Patricia Griffin’s ceramic pieces, with clear lines in each flower or wave emitting a hand-drawn, whimsical quality, almost like each mark was etched on, which it essentially was.
Griffin said she got her affinity for black and white along with clean lines because she grew up in a newspaper family, watching the printing presses whirl at the various papers they used to own in the Salinas Valley. The journalist-turned marketing professional-turned artist specializes in a technique called sgraffito, which is Italian for “to scratch.” The look is achieved by applying layers of color to pottery, then scratching off parts of the layers to create contrasting images, patterns, and texture to reveal the clay color underneath.
In her studio and retail shop on Main Street in Cambria, Griffin crafts her own creations by throwing, firing, and glazing all in the same space. She also teaches workshops periodically. Her exhibit, By The Sea, is currently on display at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. Griffin said her pieces in the show were inspired by the natural surroundings of the town she’s called home for more than 10 years, featuring colorful takes on plants, animals, and the rhythms of the natural environment.
One platter, Ready, Set, Grow, has chipper orange California poppies along a modern black and white checkerboard design. A vessel, Near the Lighthouse, is a trippy, psychedelic take on the beach environment. A series of black, white, orange, and yellow swirls pop against solid blue panels. Griffin, who lives along the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve area, makes a point to walk outside in nature every day.
“The whole natural environment has become such a part of my everyday life,” Griffin said.
Her shop is filled with a combination of gorgeous oversized vessels clearly meant for display, flat scenes meant to be hung like a painting, and intricately designed mugs or small dainty dishes, perfect for earrings or spare change. While some may debate whether ceramics’ place is high art or functional art, Griffin thinks there’s room for overlap. At home, she has a cupboard filled with mugs made by different ceramicists.
“There’s not a lot of us that can take home big sculptures,” Griffin said. “But people will send me photos of a mug they bought or a dish that holds their vitamins. I love that people are using them.”
Griffin said she hopes that her pieces in By The Sea stir an interest not just in her work, but pottery and ceramics in general.
“I hope they take away the idea that pottery can be art and be accessible,” Griffin said. “It can reflect an idea or an image of beauty.”
Ryah Cooley is an aspiring collector of fine coffee mugs and teacups. Contact her at [email protected].