About
Celia Feldberg is a ceramicist, illustrator, and current long-term resident artist at The Clay Studio of Philadelphia. She holds a BFA in ceramics from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Flower City Pottery Invitational, and in galleries nationally. Celia has taught at community studios and craft schools including Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Snow Farm. Her work has been featured by Homo Faber, The Ceramic Shop, Pottery Making Illustrated, and Tales of A Red Clay Rambler. Celia was the glaze technician for Ben Carter’s Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors.
Statement
My work incorporates narrative imagery, playful humor, and bright color on ceramic forms to invite connection and impart joy. The pieces themselves are often functional or made for the wall, intended to become part of a home where they can be seen and engaged with often. By having illustrations that wrap around three dimensional forms, I create a process of discovery, as one must turn the piece in their hands to unfold its full story. Nature and everyday moments inspire me, and animals often take center stage. I love the direct connection we make with images of animals and that anyone can see themselves in these characters. I seek balance in my work, wanting the pieces to feel both niche and relatable, to express joy with a touch of poignancy or playfulness with an edge of carefulness. I aim to highlight small moments and memories, and capture a sense of place, emotional truth, and wonder.
video by The Ceramic Shop
Selected media
Tales of A Red Clay Rambler podcast interview
The Ceramic Shop x The Clay Studio Artist Spotlight
An Illustrated Cake Stand process article for Pottery Making Illustrated
Low Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors book a wealth of knowledge for those interested in low fire, I worked with Ben Carter as a research assistant and glaze technician for this book and it features some of my work
See CV
Get in touch
“We can't say enough good things about Celia Feldberg's heartwarming earthenware. Her illustrations carry a storybook spirit, disarming us and encouraging us through engaging animal characters who are so human. Her stories find the beauty in everyday life -a quiet moment reading a good book, connecting with a cherished friend, or dancing with abandon and joie de vivre. Celia finds the poignancy and pain too, and her characters know how we feel and embrace us in a metaphoric big bear hug or hold our hand with a friendly sloth's three dainty fingers. Through text bubbles she somehow finds just the right thing to say that we need to hear. Her sgrafitto lines are as sensitive as the moments she describes, and there is a warm glow in her illustrations that suggests strong feeling or memory. Her pots are wonderful, touchable, joyous, and practical. This is brilliant work by an inspired storyteller, captured in the permanence of clay.”
- Charlie Cummings Gallery
