About

Hello!

My name is Deanna Steinborn,

and I am Hand to Earth Ceramics.

For me, ceramics represents magic, nature, art and the beauty hidden inside small, quiet moments. I had my first encounter with making ceramics in a college course in 2011, and I fell in love. I’d always loved art, but never has something captured my interest so much as playing in the mud. I genuinely believe that one could spend an entire lifetime exploring the numerous avenues this art form provides and I'm excited to continue exploring new techniques, various materials, and the endless possibilities of form.

I am currently focused on creating functional pieces, such as dinnerware, because I love that ceramics bridges the gap between art to be admired and the tactile relationship between the objects we encounter every day. I love the idea that someone wakes up every morning with their cup of coffee, spending their quiet moments of the day holding my mug in their hands, exploring the space where my own hands have devoted hours of love and care. These are the moments I am excited to be a part of.

For my design aesthetic, I have the most fun experimenting with all sorts of decorative techniques. Over all, I love an intricate pattern or texture. I want the eyes, hands and lips to be able to explore the surface of my forms. Most of my patterns are inspired by nature, and I love to incorporate both the symmetrical, ordered aspect of nature as well as the more free-flowing, organic qualities.

Both the process of decorating as well as forming my pieces has been a form of meditation for me, and I am so grateful to have found my niche. I fully expect for my ceramics to not only grow with me, but to help me grow as I become more connected to the earth, to other people, and to myself.

I am currently doing ceramics full time. I work out of my home studio, which is very small but I am incredibly grateful for it. In addition, I am an artist in residence at a gallery, shop, and classroom in downtown Springfield, MO called Springfield Pottery.