By Catherine Warmerdam
Photography by Jason Sinn
POTTER DANIA LUKEY starting working in clay in 2009 while pursuing her master’s degree in art education, and she’s never looked back. “During that time, I just fell in love with it—the whole feel of it, the functionality of it,” says Lukey. “I love being able to make things that enrich people’s everyday lives.”
The Carmichael-based artist looks for inspiration all around her: Japanese and Scandinavian architecture, nature, hiking, weaving, gardening, traveling. “My teacher’s teacher told him that you have to dig a deep well from which to draw,” says Lukey. “I’m especially influenced by my travels in Italy and Japan because of how those cultures relate to craftspeople and value the handmade.”
Creating objects that celebrate imperfections, rather than avoid them, is central to Lukey’s aesthetic. “I’m a potter who enjoys the presence of myself within the piece,” she explains. “When you turn over many of my bowls or cups, you will see irregularities. You might see my finger marks in the glazing, for example, or the ridges where I built up a wall. All of those things register the fact that this is part of a human process. It is the beauty of what we can offer as craftsmen.”
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