Cake Tray by Jenni Brant
Handmade by Jenni Brant of Dubuque, Iowa.
Take your cake to the next level!
The cake tray starts as two lumps of mid-range porcelain. The tray and the pedestal are shaped separately on the potter’s wheel then combined when the clay is still wet to create a single elegant serving vessel. The edges of the piece are notched or scalloped and pitched, and the sides of the pedestal darted, to create volume and move your eye around the tray. Colored slip dots and lines were applied with a metal-tipped slip trailer, wrapping the piece in pattern that is both tactile and beautiful.
The cake tray is glaze fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln. Glazes are lead free and food safe. It is dishwasher safe but I always suggest hand-washing to protect delicate edges.
Measures approximately 6.25" tall x 9.25" in diameter.
Because this item is handmade, it will vary slightly from the image shown.
My understanding of beauty is rooted in my rural mid-western upbringing and my parents’ emphasis on family, fortitude, and follow-through. My work affirms life and is a reminder to celebrate and commemorate the trivial, the tragic, and the triumphant.
They are functional pots, despite their delicate appearance. Symmetrical forms establish sturdiness and utility, while the fragility of their handles and edges, and the precariousness of the feet are reminders to handle the work –and life—with care. Smooth, luscious, and transparent surfaces and lace decorations suggest formal use, though my work is appropriate for everyday domestic life.
The pots are individually crafted from start to finish, using the potter’s wheel, draping molds, basic pottery tools, and my hands as the means to make parts that are altered and assembled into complete pieces. The damp green ware is decorated with pigmented slips and finished with luscious glazes, producing forms, motifs, and colors that challenge traditional masculine ceramics.
Jenni learned the craft of creating elegant utilitarian pottery while earning her MFA at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a BFA at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She also dabbles in printmaking, mosaic, and craft work. When not making art, Jenni can be found working in the garden, hitting the trails on her e-bike, or supporting community development as the Director of Communications for Greater Dubuque Development Corporation. She shares her home with three feline fur babies Georgia Lee, Claire, and George.
Find more Jenni's work here.
