Made in Arroyo Seco, NM

Lilli Steinlicht is a ceramic artist living in northern New Mexico. She began working with clay at the young age of 9 in Central Oregon and was fortunate to have ceramic classes in middle and high school. Creating art out of clay has always been a part of Lilli’s life. She moved to Northern New Mexico in 2004. She was initially associated with Taos Clay, then discovered wood firing with Logan Wannamaker and John Bradford. For the past decade she has become an integral part of the Rottenstone Pottery community of wood fire potters near Taos with Scott Rutherford.

Her work is mostly sculptural, representing forms in nature such as stalactites, rock arches and coral reefs. Handbuilding her forms out of coils was her main focus until the past year and a half when carrying kiln shelves one day during a spring wood firing event injured the tendons in her left elbow. This struggle with epicondylitis, along with previous car and skiing accidents, has taught Lilli to downscale her work. Her most current adventure in clay is making jewelry with porcelain and sterling silver. Although wood firing is her preferred method she now uses her electric kilns at her home studio. She is still very much involved in wood firing as an organizer.

Lilli uses a free form approach to creating her pieces. She begins working with the clay, pinching it between fingers and thumbs to create flowers, leaves and other organic forms. Porcelain and high fire stoneware clays have given her the results she’s looking for without glazing in the wood firings. Her porcelain earrings and pendants are not glazed either. She likes the simplicity and the refined properties of porcelain.