Red Lodge Clay Center – Short-Term Resident (AIA) 2019
Normandy Alden is a studio potter from West Winfield, NY. She lives on a family farm called Cairncrest Farm. The utilitarian forms she makes blend the practical concerns of everyday domestic life with the simplicity of the agrarian landscape. The sustaining power of the land to feed, clothe and uplift drives her work.
The landscape surrounding my farm swoops and recedes with grace. Lines of windrows curve over hayfields, beautifully articulating undulations in topography. My pots are inspired by the agrarian landscape and lifestyle. The forms I choose are based in the practical needs of my domestic life – serving bowls and fermenting jars among others. It is my wish for these pots to carry a simplicity, fullness of volume and commanding presence like the rolling hills outside my window. The vessel is a ageless metaphor – for the human spirit, for this land which sustains us, for this very moment.