Creativebug Guest post by Janine Vangool
editor / designer of UPPERCASE magazine
Ceramicist and artist Molly Hatch is one of those rare people who is exceptionally talented, yet totally down-to-earth. Generous and forthright with her experience and knowledge as a professional artist, I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with Molly through UPPERCASE projects. She is also an instructor on Creativebug, offering classes on how to apply illustration to ceramics through stencils, transfers and paint.
The Cover
When I was planning the cover of issue #21 of UPPERCASE magazine, Molly’s ceramics immediately came to mind. With form, function and ornamentation as the theme of issue #21, her decorative painted plates address both the functionality of the object as well as pay homage to the history of the decorative arts. “I have always loved art history and coveted the decorative arts,” explains Molly. “I think a lot of why I make things or design things (or illustrate things) is because I want to have them for myself—I want to see them exist in the world.”
This idea that one can make something for oneself is a notion that has persisted since Molly’s early years. “I have always been confident in myself to make what I didn’t have. I grew up in a family without a lot of resources, but with a lot of raw materials. Craft projects led to making my own clothes, and gardening and homesteading meant we were able to put away food for later.”
Though Molly started her career as a studio potter, her work has branched out past one-off objects— particularly with her line of home goods that she has developed for the popular retailer Anthropologie. She is working on a book, illustrating a historic collection of tea cups, to be published next year by Chronicle Books. Molly has also met with considerable recognition as a fine artist, receiving commissions at quite a large scale. She recently completed installing a 2-storey artwork comprising nearly 500 hand-painted plates for the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.
Regardless of the scale of her work or the scope of her success, Molly will always remain true to her do-it-yourself roots.
Interested in UPPERCASE?
Use the code “creativebug052014” for $10 off UPPERCASE subscriptions (and renewals) throughout the month of May.
UPPERCASE is a quarterly print magazine for the creative and curious with eclectic content inspired by design, illustration, craft, typography, vintage and creative living. To find out more, visit their website and sign up to their email list for exclusive free content.