Robin Hippel

Summerville, SC
Ceramics

Artist and potter Robin Hippel is a graduate of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the University of Georgia. She relocated to Summerville, South Carolina and teaches pottery classes at the Public Works Art Center and Singing Wheel Studio. Her work has been shown in shops and galleries in New Jersey, Georgia, and South Carolina where she’s resided over the past 40 years. “My vision following college was to create one of a kind clay designs and functional art rather than production pottery, though I have mastered production. Designing the form is my favorite part of the clay making process and I find there is always an evolution occurring as my skills increase. Experimentation established my style. I discovered porcelain when admiring the work of Michael Simon and his beautifully mastered forms. My forte’ is wheel work, altering the form and adding textured slabs and handles for enhancement and functionality. Taken to the edge with a paddle and a fettling knife, the form can become more refined while remaining simple and unique.

“I gather inspiration for my work from many sources. Being open to receive that inspiration is key. Forms and elements in nature; landscapes, trees, shells, birds, rocks, canyons and arroyos, plants, bones, and flowers, are capable of imprinting in clay, a tale of the walk I’m taking through life. My studio Singing Wheel is indicative of how music and movement inspire my work. The language of sound and the rhythm of the potter’s wheel create for me the beat in the heart of each piece I make. Throwing a pot is a graceful and dynamic movement, choreographed by the hands, analogous to the body in the art of dancing. I give thanks as this dance goes on and I get to experience the bliss of working with mud made beautiful.”