Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 32
Occupation: Ceramic artist.
Instagram: @seangerstley
Hometown: Philadelphia.
Studio location: Philadelphia.
Describe what you make: I make hand-built ceramic objects, furniture, lighting, and tableware.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: I’m excited about recent nesting tables I made for Superhouse.
Describe the problem your work solves: I’m always solving the architectural problems of working with hand-built clay but hopefully all those process issues fade away and in the end, my work makes you smile and brightens a space.
Describe the project you are working on now: I just completed making a body of new work for “Tile Block,” my solo presentation with Superhouse. It’s a show of new ceramic lamps, mirrors, tables, and a chair. Many of the pieces use this new modular, Tetris-like tile element I’ve been calling Tile Blocks. They bring flat smooth surfaces into the mix with my signature pinched coil-built forms. I’m also working on a large-scale outdoor ceramic bench in this Tile Block direction. It’s the largest piece I’ve made to date—a ten-foot diameter circular bench around a tree.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: “Sean Gerstley: Tile Block” runs through Nov. 14 at Superhouse Vitrine in New York.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Music, lip balm, caffeine, and my dog Lana.
What you do when you’re not working: Lately I’ve been loving the e-bikes around Philadelphia.
Sources of creative envy: Betty Woodman.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Instagram of course.
Concrete or marble? Marble.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? Light.
