Patricia Briggs

“Grounding” Apothecary Jar

Stoneware, with slip and sgraffito

I'm inspired by traditional vessel forms and decorative patterns drawn from the history of ceramics. For example, I study Renaissance apothecary jars, which were once used to hold ingredients for folk cures and traditional remedies, and amphorae, which were used to serve and store water, wine, and other commodities in ancient times. I create unexpected congruences of past and present by decorating these historical forms with words and images borrowed from the contemporary discourses of medicine, drug culture, and botany.