Branan Mercer

Branan Mercer is a ceramic artist who received a BFA from Auburn University. After receiving his education in 2008, he was a resident artist in St. Petersburg, FL  at The Craftsman House Gallery; and s studio manager and instructor at The Kiln Studio and Gallery in  Fairhope, AL. His work has been in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States and resides in the private collection of Mayor Sakuma in Ichihara, Japan and several important teabowl collections in Canada, England, France and Germany.
Currently he resides in Birmingham, AL, where his studio efforts are focused on creating well crafted functional works.

 "My current body of work begins as a study of form and function.  A strong desire to simplify and eliminate any distractions drives the work to focus on line, surface, and volume.  Glaze is absent, leaving only a porcelain body that has been sanded to a smooth satin white surface.  This surface plays with subtle light and shadow variations, providing depth to an otherwise flat piece.  Lines are kept clean with only slight curves or accents; they encompass the volume of the forms, which beg to be filled.  The pieces are meant to blend seamlessly into any environment; accentuating the food and beverage they serve, the flowers they embrace, or the shelf they inhabit.  My determination is to create well crafted, hand made vessels in which everyone can find beauty."