About

Upstairs Downstairs Studio are handmade ceramics from Telfer Carpenter. Currently running up and down the stairs with armfuls of pots from the wheel to the kiln.

Interview with YGK Homes: 
https://www.ygkhomes.ca/post/upstairs-downstairs-studio

Bio:

Telfer Carpenter is an Amsterdam-based ceramic artist who has been working with clay since mid-2019. Since then, Telfer has established her own studio for commissions and wholesale orders and is working full-time as a production potter and ceramics instructor. Telfer holds a degree in Equity Studies and Human Geography with a Minor in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Toronto and an Art’s Certificate in Ceramics from The Haliburton School of Art and Design. Telfer’s work can be found at boutiques in Kingston, Toronto and British Columbia, online through her collaborations with businesses or through her own business, Upstairs Downstairs Studio.

Artist Statement:

Telfer Carpenter’s ceramic work is influenced by her time working as a production potter. She appreciates the repetition and iterative improvement required for production-style pottery and has used these same skills to make more decorative ceramic pieces. Clay is a medium that can bridge the gap between art and function, making art accessible. Having graduated with a degree in Equity Studies, accessibility is of paramount importance. Telfer finds the idea of access to art very inspiring, hoping to continue to make work that can be held in people’s hands and appreciated as more than just a disconnected art object. Form and function working together. 

The connection between ancient techniques and modern makers is another inspiration for Telfer’s work. Ceramics is an ancient medium that still allows for innovation and progress. Everything old can be made new again with new techniques and modern technologies. Not only do ceramics connect art and function, but also tradition with modernity. 

Telfer works in Cone 6 stoneware, making mostly wheel-thrown pieces that are then altered and attached. While most of what Telfer makes is decorated to food-safety standards, she enjoys including a combination of glazed and raw, unglazed clay to create relief patterns and different surface textures. Her work often incorporates subversive design and playful elements into everyday functional ware.

CV: