BIO

Kathleen Royster received her BFA (1990) and MFA (1995) from the University of Utah where she was awarded the Ethel Rolapp Award.  She is a former Art professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver and Scripps College, Claremont CA; a former board member for the National Council on Education for the Ceramics Arts. Her teaching and research interests include historical and contemporary Ceramic history, 20th Century Design history and the place of design in culture.

Her work appears in significant museums, private collections and cited in many publications. Noteworthy, are the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Renwick Gallery of the Museum of American Art, Smithsonian located in Washington, D.C. and recently, the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA and has been cited in the critical discussion of contemporary Ceramics literature. Such references include: Jo Lauria, Color and Fire: Defining Moments in Contemporary Ceramics, 1950-2000, (2000); Garth Clark, The Artful Teapot (2002); Marvin Sweet’s, Yixing Effect: Echos of the Chinese Scholar (2006); and Dr. Judith Schwartz, Confrontational Ceramics (2008).  

Today she lives in a small artist community in historic Helper, UT where she maintains a studio. After the Great Recession, she left her academic career to become a potter and make porcelain dinnerware using a 12th century Korean decorating technique called Mishima. She combines a deep passion for modern design and simplicity to create beautifully balanced and unique dinnerware that seamlessly blend tradition and innovation. 

Inspiration

I am the oldest of a large family who valued hard work, education and music.

My earliest memories of being creative were hours spent with my grandmother building dollhouses out of scraps of materials and drawing with crayons on every wall of my parents’ house. It was my grandmother that taught me the little song, ‘I am a little teapot…’ including posing as a teapot with left hand on hip and right hand waving in the air!

Style

A few years ago after a long academic career, I began to develop a new line of functional porcelain dinnerware using a 12th century Korean decorating technique called Mishima. I would incise a design in the body of a pot; fill it in with a contrasting colored clay or slip and then cover with a transparent glaze.

100% handmade

Specializing in serving dishes for special occasions and new home purchases.

Caring for your new purchase…

All porcelain dinnerware is microwave and dishwasher safe. Not recommended for oven or stovetop cooking.

Ceramic Artist Chooses Helper…

Kathleen lives in a small artist community in historic Helper, UT where she maintains a studio. She is a studio potter and makes porcelain dinnerware using a 12th century Korean decorating technique called Mishima. She combines a deep passion for modern design and simplicity to create beautifully balanced and unique dinnerware that seamlessly blend tradition and innovation.