Lynda White is a Renaissance woman of the highest order. Her
career path has taken her from theatrical set design to photo
styling to crafting her own stunning art pieces. When you walk
into her Brooklyn studio, you immediately see that you’re in for
a real treat–she has consolidated years of handling and styling
fantastic objects into living amongst beautiful pieces that she
hand-throws and paints.
You’ve made the jump from styling beautiful dishes to making
beautiful dishes. What inspired your foray into pottery?
My degree is in Fine Arts; I’ve worked in every material from paint to cast bronze. As
a stylist, I have always been obsessed with beautiful objects. Cookbooks are some
of my favorite projects to style, and when I started working in clay two years ago my
intention was to make dishes to use for food photography. When food is the subject
matter, the dishes need to be simple and flat; they need to support the food and
contribute to the composition but not call attention to themselves. I made four white
plates and a few simple shallow bowls, but I seem to have been struck with decorative
Tourettes and everything after that has been slathered in pattern.
I love the avian and botanical motifs in your work and the natural
colors. Can you tell us a little about your stylistic inspirations?
I primarily use celadon and clear glazes over oxides. I like to keep the colors earthy
and quiet to balance the vibration of the patterns. As a stylist, there is no end to the
