On the Rise: Danica Kaspar’s Ceramic Work Is Built to Move

Clay is hardy, rigid: famously so. And yet Danica Kaspar’s ceramic work is all about movement. Vessels are wavy and warbled, edges rippling. Chains are a prominent theme in her output right now, draped and dangling off of classically shaped, matte-glazed vessels. Big or small—and some of Kaspar’s work is large, like a striking, sculptural wall installation at Four Winds Beach House and Brewery in Tsawwassen—they are all pieces designed to provoke interaction. “I want pieces that feel like you’re supposed to engage with them beyond just looking,” says Kaspar. “I want you to feel like you’re supposed to touch them.”

Clay links hang loosely off of handles and lips, flowing and colliding to create ethereal sounds. “People find that surprising, and it gives them a lot of joy,” she says. “I find my work is happy work. It’s moody, but not in a bad way.”

Kaspar went to art school for photography in 2004, but she had access to the campus wheel and kiln, so she’d play around with clay between assignments. “It was just something I did for myself,” says Kaspar, who had taken classes as a crafty kid. The hobby lay dormant for years after graduation until she felt a creative nagging to get back into the studio. “I signed up for a class to have access to facilities… and then I just didn’t stop,” she says.

She now shares a studio on Bridgeway Street with a few other ceramicists and builds full time. And while she’s no longer just creating for herself, her practice hasn’t changed. “I’ve always held onto the idea that if I want to make it and like it, there are probably other people out there who also will like it,” she says.

Though there are practical pieces in her body of work (cups featuring handles with reaching, painted fingers; wavy-edged platters painted with fish), she’s more often crafting one-of-a-kind commissions—a mug factory, she is not. Kaspar creates custom wall sculptures, ceramic light fixtures and larger-than-life vases that anchor a space. Fans include interior designer Gillian Segal (you’ll recognize her work from Dear Gus) and Vancouver jeweller Melanie Auld. “Getting reassurance that it’s not just me, other people like it and get it—that’s validating,” she says.

Kaspar’s illustrative plates and platters are the ideal starting point for a collector, an feature fish, people or fruit; starting at $95