Love & Flowers (2022)

Devorah Canter

Love & Flowers (2022)
Clay and ceramic glazes.
60"x30”

Inspired by: 

Peggy Samet (Mother, 1925-2010)

Challah (2010)
Photograph.
8”x12”

Peggy Samet, my mother, possessed a unique talent for weaving magic with her hands. Through the simple yet transformative combination of flour, water, salt and yeast, she crafted edible masterpieces for our family's meals, celebrations, and Jewish holidays - the iconic braided challah bread. As a child, I would marvel as she divided the dough into strands, skillfully rolling them between her palms until they elongated into graceful snakes. With careful reverence, she would then weave these strands together, forming intricate patterns. Witnessing the dough's metamorphosis in the warmth of the oven was like witnessing magic unfold before my eyes.

Today, in my own ceramic studio, the memory of her braided challah lives on through my artistic journey with clay. Much like the creative process behind her bread, my sculpture “Love & Flowers” required meticulous attention and skillful manipulation of raw materials. I molded and shaped the clay into intricate and expressive forms. Both art forms embody our shared values of creativity, tradition, and craftsmanship. Whether it's shaping clay into sculpture or braiding dough into bread, both speak to the universal human desire to create.