Lorien Stern is known for her quirky ceramic art that serves to add a humoristic edge to your otherwise bland surroundings. Based in Inyokern, California (a small town in the Western Mojave Desert), Stern makes ceramic art and runs a small brand consisting of clothing, home goods, and accessories. Her goal as an artist? To make people feel happy when they see her work.
“My goal is to make artwork that makes people feel good,” she said in an interview with Colleen Conroy. But the subjects she chooses are oftentimes quite frightening, and include things like ghosts and sharks, bringing to mind subjects related to nature and death. “As someone who is afraid of a lot of stuff, I feel that it is an interesting challenge to bring scary subjects into a positive light,” she explains.
One of her more unique products is a ceramic shark head meant to hang on your wall. “I feel that sharks are misunderstood, even by me,” says Stern. “Humans are definitely the more dangerous predator and sharks are a crucial part of our ecosystem and they need to be respected. I am not a shark expert, but I am interested in how our fear can play a role in how we treat things that scare us. By making the sharks in bright colors, and with goofy expressions invited you to see sharks up close with a new perspective.”
And talking about her bold color choices, she explains: “I choose colors that make me feel good. I am also inspired by patterns that make me feel good, like when I see the spots on a whale shark or a cheetah I get an indescribable feeling. Almost like FOMO. ‘I want to be apart of that some how!'”
Take a look at some of her work below.
