Seoul Sister Studio

About Jee: Jee Wipperfurth is the ceramist behind Seoul Sister Studio in Healdsburg, CA.

She chose ceramics as her art form after a career in engineering and design, because she realized that clay is grounding. It is of the earth, and Jee’s intention is to bring the joy of that connection to the owners of her pieces. She specializes in hand carved designs that balance the orderly and the organic.

About her work:

Fortunately (and unfortunately), ceramics is a highly process driven activity. There are at least six steps to make a single item, from weighing and wedging the clay to final firing, and that does not include the inactive time of waiting for the clay to get to the optimal state and checking on items to make sure they are drying properly. Porcelain is fussy and requires more attention than other clay bodies. Jee’s process includes the additional time consuming steps of carving and texturing her pieces and cleaning up those areas. Her glazing process is often meticulous. she uses color sparingly in a supportive role, so that the foci of her pieces are texture and carving. On average, a single piece will take several weeks before it is ready to be loved.

Jee has always been drawn to reductive sculpture because of its merciless process and often awe-inspiring results. Removing material in order to reveal a finished form requires deliberate actions with permanent consequences. There are no “do-overs.” Although working with clay is more forgiving than chipping away at stone, her work is reminiscent of reductive sculpture. She starts with a form, usually a functional vessel, examines the salient characteristics, and then carves away and texturize the surface to reveal a revised object that feels true to its essence. Unlike some sculpture her objects are meant to be touched and held, since utility is a core characteristic. Jee enjoys making useful objects that evoke emotion.