Betty Woodman
b. 1930, United States
d. 2018
American ceramicist, 1930-2018
Betty Woodman (1930–2018) began her nearly seventy-year engagement with clay in the 1950s as a functional potter with the aim of creating beautiful objects to enhance everyday life. In the 1960s, the vase form became Woodman’s subject, product, and muse. In deconstructing and reconstructing its form, she created an exuberant and complex body of ceramic sculpture, drawings, and prints. Their signature is her reflection of a wide range of influences and traditions and an inventive use of colour. Many of these traditions Woodman experienced first-hand: she travelled extensively, finding inspiration in cultures around the world.