Carmen Platek

Carmen has had a love for different forms of art since childhood. She attended Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City where she studied drawing, painting, fashion design, patternmaking, and sewing. Life took her away from the art and fashion world for many years. She slowly worked her way back into the art world first returning to her first love, watercolor painting. Then, in 1998 she discovered clay sculpting and pottery. More specifically, within the world of pottery she discovered “clay hand building.”

You could say Carmen has become enamored with the process of hand building. Her work is NOT done on a wheel. Every piece is hand crafted. She uses coils to build some of her work and slabs to build others, then again, she may use pinch pots to create other pieces. Often a combination of all three techniques are used to bring a piece into existence. The beauty of hand building is watching your idea take shape, flow, and come together in your very hands. It is akin to “musical engineering,” if you will, the way a piece sometimes comes together.

Carmen studied pottery under master potter Beatrice Bloom of Warwick, NY. Carmen’s work had been exhibited by invitation at the Community Center of Teaneck, NJ, during various exhibitions. The child in her is still having fun in the world of art.