Born into a family of designers and makers, ceramist Daphné Verley creates one of a kind, terra-cotta pieces in the pursuit of enhancing every day rituals through beauty and function. Trained as a production potter, Daphné has refined her technique for over four decades and now focuses primarily on her lamps. These contemporary, artful light sources are an outgrowth of her series TOTEM, a collection of thrown, figurative sculpture celebrating women universally.
Hand built or thrown, Daphné’s pieces reflect her appreciation of ordinary visuals through form, color and surface pattern. Observation of surrounding elements, in nature or the urban landscape, get stored in her creative reservoir, later to emerge as inspired motifs in her work. Whether functional vessel or sculptural form, Daphné’s inspired designs celebrate the ordinary rituals familiar in everyday living.
Additionally, Daphné's creative process is informed by the influences and experiences born of her large expatriate French family, prompting her imaginative thoughts at an early age. The tradition of her surrounding culture, an appreciation for beauty nurtured by her mother, the architectural work of her father, and chaotic, close engagement with her eight siblings cultivated a preferred form of expression, visual art.
Daphné received her BFA in Ceramics from Syracuse University under David Macdonald. The artist studied at the Hornsey College of Art, London and textile design at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work is in private collections internationally and has shown in numerous galleries including the Clara Scremini Gallery, Paris, Paul Mellon Arts Center, Joan Lukas Rothenberg Gallery and The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong. Currently, Daphné works and teaches from studios in Warren, RI, and Bordeaux, France.