Andrea Müller

Ceramicist

Finding structure in creativity

Andrea works exclusively with Raku and sawdust firing
She fell in love with clay at university
Her work references Asian aesthetics

For almost 40 years Andrea Müller has refined her skills and expanded her knowledge of the materials she works with. Clay and porcelain form the basis of every work, processed by experienced hands and finished with a Raku or sawdust firing. Over the years, she has gradually defined her aesthetic. Her works are characterised by shapes such as cylinders or spheres, which she combines in myriad ways, always following the golden ratio. This structured approach to creation has produced a distinctive oeuvre, which has been recognised internationally. Her works can be found in private collections and museums including the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin and Schloss Pilnitz in Dresden.

Interview

How did you get into ceramics?: During my first year at the University of Applied Sciences for Design in Wiesbaden, I had the opportunity to experiment and try out different fields. But the moment my hands touched clay for the first time, I was sure that ceramics and sculpting were going to be my focus.
Where do you find inspiration?: I find it in the interplay with the materials and in the spontaneous process of the Raku and sawdust firing. I can only control the expression to a certain extent, the fire adds its own notes.
How does your work reference Asian aesthetics?: Through my contact with the ancient Japanese fire technique Raku, my involvement with Zen Buddhism and the traditional tea ceremony, there is a reference in the language of form and expression.
Is a certain recollection of the past inevitable in ceramics?: For me it is, since I work with very archaic shapes, so a reference to historical ceramics is automatically present. Every work is just a moment in a sequence of creations.

Andrea Müller is a master artisan: she began her career in 1980 and she started teaching in 1983