Lauren Aitken, creator of LA Ceramics.

I grew up in Accord, NY in the Hudson Valley. My childhood was spent on my parents property - 8 acres to run a muck on, gaining valuable lessons in make believe, mud pies, and the magic of the forest. What I didn’t realize then is how much of this would still be present in my current life - artistic creativity, clay, and local mountains.  

My Intro to Ceramics class in college was love at first sight. Graduating with a BFA in Ceramics and a BS in Art Education and realizing the non existent job market I moved to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. For 6 years my days were spent swimming, surfing, sailing and slowing down.  Evenings were spent working in a French fine dining restaurant & wine bar learning the ins and outs of the industry. It's tough, thankless, messy and fun. It teaches you discipline, how to take criticism, how to read people, and to balance everything at once while not breaking a sweat. For the second time I fell in love. 

Ceramics got left behind, but not forgotten.

Fast forward six years later, I move back to the Hudson Valley decide to leave the current restaurant job i’m in, join a landscaping company, and find a ceramics studio. Slowly, like riding a bike - I understand how to work with clay again, the muscle memory coming back each time I wedge and sit down at the wheel.

My experience of running fine dining and farm-to table- restaurants for the last 12+ years has given me the ability to link food, craft, and community. My interests lie in the synergy created between the small details of the object, food, chef, diner, and the space where all these elements will come together for a comprehensive experience. There are unmatched parallels that create a beautiful, subtle line between clay that is dug from the ground, produce grown in the soil, the chef who cooks that produce, and the plate that the food ends up on -- it genuinely is full circle.

My favorite thing about being an artist and especially a potter is being able to create pieces that are a merriment of beauty and function. Simple design and color that highlight the flowers in the vase, soap in the dish, or food on the plate. True collaborations that come out of conversation, trial and error, everyday use and the relationships I get to form with clients while working through those details are magical. Seeing a connection to a specific time and place every time a mug is used or an arrangement is made in a vase is pure joy. 

A piece of my heart, hands, and soul are in every piece.