Artisan Spotlight: Gretchen Murchison

This spring, we are excited to introduce you to Gretchen Murchison, a Louisiana-based ceramicist artist who creates each of our limited-edition Bloom Sculptural Bowls.

Fig & Dove was born out of a love and true appreciation for artisan-made products. While we've expanded in the years since then, we still strive to stay close to our roots. We believe that artisan-made products add depth and personality to your home; their quality and uniqueness helps them become cherished heirlooms, passed on through the years. 

We asked Gretchen to share what inspires her to create, and we hope that understanding the meaning and process behind her Bloom bowls inspires you to add her art to your collection. 

The act of using my hands as a tool directed my path to be a clay artisan. My whole life I’ve been a maker of handmade wares. I have worked with many mediums such as textiles, paints, paper, cardboard and eventually clay. Clay became my most communicative medium.

I take pleasure in the challenge clay provides as I create vessels that appear soft, supple, fluid and voluminous. The organic forms and fluid shapes I create represent the growth, a sort of blooming, I’ve experienced as an artisan. This adoration fueled my journey as a ceramic artist.

My designs are motivated by practicality and function paired with an admiration for beauty. The blooming bowls I create are largely influenced by floras, botanicals and organic shapes in nature. With each piece an overall design plan is made, but each curve and undulation made by my fingers is organic in the moment. The clay responds to my touch that determines the way it will go.

I enjoy designing vessels that imbibe beauty while being tangible. It is important to me that my pieces become a part of the life within a home. When an observer has the desire to hold, investigate, and utilize a vessel I’ve created, that’s when I feel functionality and beauty have melded cohesively.

You can view the Bloom Sculptural Bowl here. Quantities are limited, and there is a 2-3 week lead time as each bowl is custom made.