“I work with my hands and play with fire. Surrounded by technology, I am connected to the Earth. I transform clay via touch, continuing the centuries-old tradition of vessel making. Everything around us arranges in geometric patterns. We are surrounded by chaos. I seek balance, a sense of order, and find comfort in repetition.”
Deborah Slahta explores the vessel as a three-dimensional canvas, producing finely crafted Raku and stoneware ceramics. She is a native of Hellertown, Pennsylvania, and resides in the Lehigh Valley. She began a lifelong passion for clay while attending Moravian College, graduating with a B.S. in Mathematics.
She maintains a studio at the Banana Factory, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she has been a juried resident artist since May 2000. She teaches ceramic classes for adults, summer camps for children, and after-school programs for at-risk youth.
Her work is exhibited in national and regional shows, including “PA Craft” at the State Museum in Harrisburg and “Area Artists 2017” at Lehigh University.