Hasta La Ideas

American pottery manufacturer Heath Ceramics has had their kilns burning for more than half a century, employing craftsmen at their Sausalito, California factory to produce tableware and tile. In recent years, Heath has been creating focused, hand-crafted collaborations with a carefully curated list of designers and artists including Christina Kim (Dosa), Roy McMakin and chef Alice Waters. “Our collaborations are inspiring for those of us working on design at Heath, as well as the artists and designers with whom we collaborate,” explains Creative Director Cathy Bailey. “They are true collaborations where we all are learning something new and opening our minds to different possibilities in our work. They are also inspiring on many different levels, from new techniques to new perspectives offered by the artists and designers we’re working with to create and craft on an entirely new level.”

The newest edition to their artist roster is the Los Angeles-based illustrator and graphic designer Geoff McFetridge. Best known for his abstract, hand wrought line illustrations that depict everything from land- and cityscapes, fantastical creatures to crowds of people, McFetridge’s work has been featured on products from Nike, Pepsi, Stüsy, Burton, Patagonia and in Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are and Adaptation. The collaboration with Heath is McFetridge’s first foray into the medium of clay, although not his first work for interiors—he creates graphics for his wallpaper and fabric company Pottok prints. This collaboration marks a first for Heath Ceramics as well, “the first type of collaboration that is very graphical and where the artist is doing the illustration himself.”

A natural extension of a long friendship between McFetridge and Heath LA Studio Director and potter Adam Silverman, the resulting collection was a true conversation between brand and artist. Bailey shared that the process, “was a deeper level of collaboration… Adam worked with Geoff on the general concepts. We then all worked together to figure out what a good merger would be—how Geoff’s work and shapes would translate to clay. We also had to take into account how a piece is made (slip cast or jiggered for example) and whether or not it was appropriate to paint on or carve into the surface and even if we needed to consider throwing a new shape of pot. What was so gratifying about this collaboration was the exploration of technique and process.”

This exploration resulted in a complete custom-painted dinnerware set, hand-carved vases and hand-carved teapot and cup sets for the collection, My Head Disappears When My Hands Are Thinking.

We sat down with Geoff to learn more about his illustrations and carvings for Heath—read on for more info about coin-hunting, yoga-skateboarders in leotards and making art for the masses. If you’re in Los Angeles, you can see the pieces for yourself—the show opens tomorrow.

My Head Disappears When My Hands Are Thinking
Heath Los Angeles
7525 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
Through December 31st, 2011

Core77: Can you share a bit about your approach to this collaboration? Why did you choose the specific characters and drawings for Heath?

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