Ela Das (b. 1956), Black magic woman

glazed ceramic, 31 x 20 x 22 cm

Trained as a psychologist and linguist, she has been working in ceramics for 9 years, although she took her first steps in ceramics in the Sopot studio of ceramic artist Yannick Leider in 1979. Her departure from Poland in 1981 interrupted her adventure with ceramics - fortunately, as it turned out, not forever. During her 18-year stay in the United States, where she finished her studies in psychology and linguistics, she devoted herself to teaching children and young people. After returning to Poland, she gained her ceramic training at various ceramic studios in Warsaw and at international courses and workshops (including ICSA, Kecskemét, Hungary, 2012, Cogorderos, Universidad Popular de Gijon, 2015, and in North Carolina under the tutelage of ceramic masters Jim Whalen and Jan Lee, 2016). She is also the author of the workshop manual for teachers and parents, "Little Ceramist."

"What captivates me about ceramics is its diversity and the unfathomable possibility of constant exploration and discovery. I don't want to define myself unequivocally as an artist in functional ceramics, sculpture, or one style. The means of expression only emphasize the emotion, the thought, the intention contained in the work. Regardless of the form, I want to capture what is fleeting and beautiful in the dynamic movement of opposites and contrasts, which are essentially complementary. My inspiration has always been nature, especially the seas and oceans - their underwater world under threat of extinction."