Frosted sponge and overstuffed pies are only a few of the candy treats Naomi Peterson crafts from clay. Her playful “cup-cakes” take confectionery as a place to begin, including layers harking back to fondant, ice cream scoops, berries, and sprinkles.
Lots of Peterson’s items are useful, incorporating lids or handles for use as vessels or espresso mugs. “I’m drawn to visual sweetness, imagining the potential enjoyment of confectioneries rather than physically consuming them,” she tells Colossal. “I actually prefer savory and salty foods to sweet ones!”
Flowers complement playful lattice patterns in vibrant hues, typically leaning right into a backyard theme with topiary varieties. Peterson depends on an intuitive method that mixes wheel-thrown methods with hand-building strategies like coils, slabs, and pinching. “I construct different forms and plan surfaces later,” she says. “I find if I pre-plan the surface and shape from the beginning, the process becomes too controlled, limiting spontaneity.”
As soon as the essential type is full, Peterson provides or removes parts via darting—slicing wedge-shaped items from a cylinder of clay—and enhancing with sprig or press molds. “My surfaces require many applications and separate firings to achieve vibrant, layered effects,” she says. “Before ceramics, I spent many years painting mainly with oils, influencing much of my surface decisions.”
We regularly consider confectionery as a token of pleasure, celebration, and togetherness. Each cake and bon bon displays Peterson’s curiosity in relationships and the best way our actions and feelings entwine us with others and our communities. The areas in between the dot patterns are important, “not to keep each element distant but to connect them,” she says. “Although not physically connected, each of us is important as part of a whole.”
Peterson’s work can be a part of Filth Folks: Planted, a pop-up exhibition operating concurrently with the 2025 Nationwide Council on Training for the Ceramic Arts convention in March in Salt Lake Metropolis. In case you’re on the East Coast, you’ll be capable of see her work in Traces and Patterns from March 22 to Could 24 at Baltimore Clayworks. Discover extra on the artist’s web site and Instagram.
