A Fragile Strength

Fascinated by clay’s properties since my early exposure to it decades ago, I’m intrigued by its apparent fragility, reminding me of my grandmother’s delicate hand-painted China: beautiful and forbidden. This is juxtaposed with ceramic’s industrial strength, evident in spark plugs, sewer pipes, and floor tiles. My ongoing work explores the load-bearing weight of individual pieces in installations and sculptures larger than my kiln can fire, balancing strength and weakness in objects like ribbons of porcelain tumbling down a wall or delicate coils held in place by friction. In this show, I’ll explore past forms and discover new ways to capture the rhythm, movement, and strength of delicate objects in clay. 

Laurel Lukaszewski
November 2025

Portico Gallery at Studio 3807, Brentwood, MD
November 2025 - January 2026