“I make art in celebration of the gifts the Earth offers us constantly, and as a practice of deepening my relationships with myself, other people,  and the more than human world.”

Chandra Elmendorf is a ceramics artist and educator living in Northport Maine. Her work is primarily functional and handbuilt.  Formative encounters with clay in the studio began early in her life. From the ages of 7 to 11 she attended weekly ceramics classes at a community studio, learning many of her foundational skills there.  After that, it wasn’t till the final semester of her BFA from Whitworth University in Spokane Washington, that she encountered clay again, re-kindling a love that had almost been forgotten. Later still, in 2015, after another hiatus, the time for that long-burning ember to kindle a flame had finally come. The opportunity to attend classes at the Clay Arts Guild of the Hamptons in Watermill, NY stoked that fire. She has been joyfully working in clay ever since, 

Her practice follows a meandering path, trying on new techniques, or returning to standbys, but always exploring ways of bringing the all-pervasive vitality of Nature into the work. Leaves, bark, rocks, soils and shells all provide inspiration and are often used as tools, themselves collaborating in the creation of the pieces.