Dorothee Wenz

Ceramicist

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A career path paved in clay

Dorothee's work evokes the patterns of the landscape around her
She dyes and mixes the clay and porcelain masses by herself
She loves to push herself and experiment

It was a eureka moment when 19-year-old Dorothee Wenz stumbled into the exhibition 'Vessels from another world' by Elizabeth Fritsch right after having graduated from high school. “I was mesmerised by the shapes, the colours and the tender surfaces,” she says. In that very moment something clicked, and her path from then on was written in clay. “All I wanted was to do this,” she explains. So that is what she did, without ever being shy of pushing herself or her material to the limit. “Right after finishing college, I was asked to create a large vessel for a collector. The project was literally too big for me as the vessel almost exceeded myself, but I did it and that paved the way.”

Interview

How would you define your work?
My works reflect the landscapes I am surrounded by. It is an undulating surface, parcelled in bits of colour. These colour patterns echo in me and can be found in my work as an artistic and aesthetic expression.
What's your making process like?
It is a process of constant experimentation. I dye the clay and porcelain masses myself, I create different textures and use my hands to bring them all together in one object. In the end, I am never sure how it will work out. Opening the kiln is always like entering an unknown world.
When are you satisfied with your work?
The way I work is quite challenging physically and very time-consuming. I have to spend a lot of energy and time to meet my expectations. But when I stand in front of my creation after a long day of work and I can feel that it is all me, then I am deeply satisfied.
Could your craft lose relevance in future?
I don't think so. There will always be people who recognise the beauty of this profession and who are not afraid of committing their time and energy to master it. There will always be people who appreciate this craft and who elevate it to the level of art.

Dorothee Wenz is a master artisan: she began her career in 1995 and she started teaching in 2018