From a young age clay resonated with me. I believe it started when I made 2 little owl sculptures on a piece of wood in about the second grade, which still sit on my shelf today. Tactile and physical, the process of working in clay is full of potential as well as challenges. I love the dialogue that develops between maker and material. With clay I can have a discussion, we can go back and forth about it, and, if I listen just so, it speaks to me in a way no other material can.
Growing up I was surrounded by a family who appreciated and cultivated the love of objects. We existed with beautiful and well crafted antiques passed down generation after generation. We dined with elaborate silver and glass for special occasions, we walked on oriental rugs that were threadbare from footsteps of those who went before. My mother has elegant, traditional taste, and every detail is considered important. My father, a bit more eclectic, would drag home carnival ephemera from days gone by, to my mother’s chagrin. My uncle taught me about great art, hanging the modern masters on his walls, and collecting tongue-in-cheek items such as a 3 foot tall marble replica of Baldaccini’s famous thumb sculpture in Paris.
As I look upon the objects that I surround myself with, I see they all carry from my predecessors: the midcentury modern glass menagerie I inherited from my grandfather; my grandmother's cameo bracelet that I’ve hung on my wall; my father’s old leather chair, well worn and sturdy; the antique silver forks with crazy, elegant shapes…I don’t even know what they were used for, but as objects they are lovely just on their own.
For my own work, I draw inspiration from the ever-changing landscape here in Vermont. The subtleties of light and shadows and the resulting shapes and patterns are a constant source of awe. Hiking through the woods and noticing the intricacies of the moss, the composition of leaves fallen on the ground now covered with frost, dark branches against the grey sky as they splay out from the trees, or the path of the half frozen river…though I have seen these things a million times, somehow every time is always new and magical, as if for the first time.
The influence of nature in this way, along with my love for the simple clean lines of Scandinavian design, inspires me to make beautiful objects that even the most discerning animal would have in its den.
I want to embellish your life with beauty, elegance, and, adding my own twist to things, elements of the natural world. I want to create things that will bring you joy for years to come, objects you will love, and pass on to others. It is our goal here at Tabbatha Henry Designs to bring you these revered objects: inspiring designs infused with nature, that are sure to surprise and delight.