Traveling to exotic places and immrsing oneself in local experiences can be inspiring for almost everyone. For artists, it can provide a pivotal moment in their creative journey. “I was visiting Indonesia in 2020 and decided to take a pottery class in the mountains while my fiancé went surfing,” recounts ceramicist Melissa Gabrielsen. “The moment I touched the clay, I loved it.”
Upon returning home to Greenport, the North Fork native decided to “set up a little studio in my house” to explore creating with clay using a hand-building technique.
“I didn’t have a wheel or kiln at the time, but decided to make things by hand and see how it goes.” Immediately attracted to the imperfections, organic shapes, and finger-pressed dimples hand- building with clay offered, Gabrielsen launched a brand of homeware and tabletop accessories under the moniker FORME, a hybrid of ‘for-me’ which grounds the artist’s creations in keeping the works personal and “a desire to be a better artist.”
Cutting the clay is the first step in hand forming.
Once cut, the clay is flattened through a slab roller to the desired thickness.
Placing an o’bjet d’art into the kiln.
FORME’s stamp of approval adorns the bottom of each plate.
Custom glazes in earthy tones are meticulously tested.
With a recent move to a commercial space on Front Street in Greenport that she shares with painter Verona Peñalba, the daylight-filled VEME Studios—pronounced “veh-may,” a combination of the two artists’ names—is now complete with a slab roller, pottery wheel, kiln and plenty of space up front to sell her austere, yet functional, line of ceramic vases, mugs, platters, and candle holders. The space also offers two-hour ‘art bar’ sessions, supplying all the materials needed for visitors to pop in and create something in “whatever medium speaks to them,” says Gabrielsen. “People love it.”
With a desire to move away from shiny finish commercial glazes, Gabrielsen is currently exploring the alchemy of custom mixing glazes in subtle greens and earth-hewn matte finishes. “The thing with glazing, and pottery in general, is you don’t know what you’re going to get until it comes out of the kiln,” explains the artist. This trial and error rule applies to Gabrielsen’s surprisingly thin dinner plates. “Plates are difficult to make because you’re trying to keep a surface completely flat with a wet piece of clay,” explains the artist. “While drying, it’s susceptible to warping or cracking.”
After glazing and double firing, FORME’S plates and platters have now become Gabrielsen’s most sought-after pieces, so much so that she has decided to make more than 200 for the table setting at her upcoming wedding.
“My pieces are not only for special occasions, but also they’re super durable and functional,” she continues. “Pottery should be designed to be used.” FORME ceramics are available at VEME STUDIOS.
