Working with a low fire earthenware claybody and using simple handbuilding techniques, I create sculptural ceramic pieces with a lively and tactile appeal. I’m inspired by the magic that I see every day in the natural world right outside my door. I base much of my subject matter on my daily observations and experiences along with considerable research into more mysterious and elusive creatures. I combine bats, deer, sheep, and all manner of forest life with intricate floral surfaces and bring them to life with light washes of color, glazes and terra sigillata. My themes are inspired by my deep appreciation for the beauty and fragility of Earth’s biosphere and my search for the connections that link all species together. I love to play with the idea that all species on Earth share more commonalities than differences and that the idea of separateness is an illusion. I consider my work to be a three dimensional sketchbook of my ideas and observations with a little bit of imagination sprinkled in.

Lisa Hager is a ceramic artist and naturalist from Western North Carolina. She studied art and photography at the Ohio State University and environmental science at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography and Environmental Studies. She has exhibited widely in the greater Asheville, North Carolina area including the InTandem Gallery in Bakersville, as well as nationally including the Clay Studio of Missoula, Montana and several Artfields Competitions in Lake City, South Carolina. She is currently splitting her studio time between Lake Lure, North Carolina and Englewood, Florida. When she’s not covered in clay you can find her planting native edibles in her Florida garden or out foraging for chanterelles in the hills and valleys of WNC.n a society of mass production, I encourage the users of my pots to slow down in their day to day lives to consider how their meal was produced, and in turn, how it will be served. I’m focused on the evident relationship between food and pottery, and the disconnection that can occur between their origins and final products .