Taylor Mezo

Taylor Mezo (she/they) is a ceramic artist from Illinois, currently living in Pittsburgh PA.  She makes funk-tional ceramic wares made from red earthenware with a vibrant color palette. Vessels are made using slab building and wheelthrowing techniques, and have a certain "Rocko's Modern Life" type of flair, with their playful forms and geometric surface patterns. Outside of ceramics Taylor can be found playing the stand up bass, singing karaoke, or attending classic car shows.

My ceramic work is the outcome of both a mental and physical process. Vessels are made from earthenware slabs, paddled slightly and connected at the edges to make plump forms. These forms are derived from objects of interest that I encounter throughout my life, serving as a visual journal. Retro fashion, flora and fauna, Lisa Frank, classic cars, drag performers, mid-century modern furniture, and even cartoons from the 90s. I break objects like these down to their essential lines and shapes, then build them back up into functional pots, so that the pot contains the essence of its origin but still serves a practical purpose. As a ceramic artist, I try to test the label of "functional" pottery by creating work with an emphasis on aesthetic and shape. It is important to me to maintain a sense of fluidity in my work, I am constantly playing with the challenges of function while preserving a childlike
sense of vibrancy.