Harlequin's Costume Long Serving Tray

Laurie Pollpeter Eskenazi has worked with clay for over 25 years.  As a little girl, she was fascinated with the items found on and in her Grandmother’s dresser.  It was filled with old button boxes, crazy quilts, and hand tatted lace.  Laurie is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  Her pottery is inspired by the traditional needle crafts made by women in the 19th and early 20th century.  Using a combination of wheel throwing, coil, and slab techniques she transforms vintage designs into contemporary stoneware.  The work is somewhat spontaneous.  She strives for a non-manicured organic look, by layering impressions taken from vintage lace, buttons, and hand made stamps.  Influenced by the colors and textures found in her travels throughout France, Italy, Spain and the rural Midwest, her pallet is lush and vibrant.

Laurie Pollpeter Eskenazi is perhaps most notably collected for her mastery of glaze patterning and critical attention to detail.  Her work possesses a feminine, playful touch that speaks to contemporary sensibilities with bits of nostalgia woven into each piece.