Elegant Porcelain Pottery and Dishware from North Seattle Artist

Kristin Nelson's Vit Ceramics line includes vases, lamp bases and tableware

By Kate Calamusa January 12, 2015

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This article originally appeared in the January 2015 issue of Seattle Magazine.

Clay has a mind of its own—it just needs some help making it up. So says Kristin Nelson of her Vit Ceramics line, organic-inspired porcelain pottery and dishware crafted in subtle, soothing tones of gray and taupe (the line also comes in an array of brighter colors). A longtime artist with a degree in ceramic sculpture from the University of Washington, Nelson creates vases, lamp bases and tableware in her North Seattle studio using the coil-and-pinch technique, a variation on the traditional pinch pot method, adding dappled texture with her signature raised white lines.

“I spend a lot of time looking at shape and form,” she says. “My pieces are often reminiscent of nature, sea pods, pears, gourds.” Vit, which means “white” in Swedish, represents a shift from her original line, Kri Kri (online at planetkrikri.com), and reflects a calmer, more subdued aesthetic gleaned from her travels throughout Scandinavia.

For part of the year, Nelson, alongside her husband, Nigel Foster, guides kayak tours through the pristine fjords, where the icy, muted tones provide inspiration for the color palette of her line. “Simple elegance defines Swedish design,” she says. “Now I hope it defines Vit, too.” Tableware (including mugs, plates and bowls) ranges from $35 to $46 per piece; lamps start at $355, vases $32–$88. Available at Kobo at Higo (Chinatown–International District, 604 S Jackson St.; 206.381.0704; koboseattle.com) or vitceramics.com 

 

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