laurel lukaszewski

Whether creating porcelain cherry blossoms, wall installations or other figurative and abstract works, Maryland’s Laurel Lukaszewski is always looking for ways to push clay and explore what the material can do.

Artist: Born in Kansas City, MO, Lukaszewski lived in Charleston, SC, until elementary school. Her family then moved to the West Coast, first California then Washington State.

Another move took the family to Merritt Island on the Space Coast of Florida, where she took ceramic classes in high school.

After high school, she attended Clemson University in SC, but transferred as a junior to Florida State University (FSU), where she graduated with a BA in international affairs.

She worked in Japan for two years on the Japanese government’s Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program, then returned to get an MA in Asian Studies from FSU.

Throughout her schooling and time in Japan, Lukaszewski found ways to work with clay. She left her years-long career, working for the Japan-America Society in Seattle and Washington, DC, to focus on her ceramics full-time.

Studio: A full-time artist since 2005, Lukaszewski has a studio in the Ampersand Art Space in the Gateway Arts District in Mt. Rainier, MD. She shares space in the warehouse with eight other artists who work in clay and mixed media.

Art & materials: Functional and sculptural work, primarily using English porcelain and black stoneware. In her practice, she has several bodies of work:

Abstract, extruded works made from coils and ribbons for installations that hang from the ceiling or wall or are singular pedestal-based works. One of the largest was 22 feet. A home-sized installation runs $3,200 to $6,800. Pedestal works are $450 to $2,500 and up.
Custom installations of porcelain cherry blossoms. The original gallery installation in 2009 included 3,020 cherry blossoms, representing the gift of trees from Japan planted along the Tidal Basin in DC in 1912.

Since then, she has done numerous installations for private and corporate clients that have ranged from 100 to 650 blossoms ($2,000 and up).

Figurative sculpture and pottery, smaller pieces which she started to make during Covid. Subjects include octopuses, hares/rabbits and cicadas (the 17-year Brood X invaded her yard following Covid), along with flowers from her garden. ($35 to $2,800 for a large wall-mounted sculpture).

Why rabbits & octopus:

Rabbits. Obsessed with them as a child, she wished for and never received one (except a pink puppet bunny that she and her brother would fight over).

“I’ve expanded on this idea as an adult,” said Lukaszewski. “Seeing them as representative of the things in life we’ve wanted but could not have or have not yet achieved – simultaneously embodying hope and disappointment.”

As singular sculptures and as part of figurative pottery. These initially grew from her abstract works, the coils mimicking the movement of sea life.

“As someone who grew up around the water, and is a certified rescue diver, I’ve been fascinated with octopuses since my first encounter with one at a marine science center in elementary school,” she said.

“Many of my pieces focus on their ability to camouflage and blend into their surroundings (as if an octopus came upon one of my vases and decided to hide),” said Lukaszewski.

“Additionally, the fact that octopuses are part of the zeitgeist has led to some very fun conversations about books and movies.”

Must-have tools:

Her own kiln.
Array of extruders and dies for abstract works.
A large collection of cookie cutters, collected from all over the world. They are used to create the base shapes for some of the pieces. “I love kitchen stores,” said Lukaszewski.
Needle-nose applicators, squeeze bottles and tiny brushes for surfaces.

Inspirations:

Japan studies. In college, she studied Japanese art history, music and religion, along with Japanese politics and sociology.

“Part of that was learning about Japanese architecture and how it integrates with nature,” said Lukaszewski. “When I lived in Japan, and on return visits, I’ve made an effort to visit Japanese gardens and tea houses.”

Pottery, especially Japanese blue and white pottery Delftware that she first discovered during a home stay in the Netherlands.

Fun & special commissions:

A 22-foot hanging sculpture for a stairwell in a corporate headquarters in Virginia. 2018.
Designed the 2025 Official National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Lapel Pin ($5 at ncbfstore.org)) based on her doodles.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates Japan’s 1912 gift of trees to the United States. A pin purchase helps support the annual spring festival and its trees.Lukaszewski has been a board member (now emeritus) of the festival since 2002, so the blossoms hold a special place in her heart as a link between DC and Japan.

Recent awards/honors:

Best in Show at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden ArtsFest, Solomon, MD. 2025.
Creativity Grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. 2025.
Purchase Award for the Strictly Functional Pottery National, at the Lancaster (PA) Museum of Art. 2022.

Recent project: An installation of cherry blossoms, which she typically does in unglazed white porcelain, but in this case, the client was interested in a different palette.

Created 250 blossoms that were yellow ochre and hues of olive green by mixing stains into the porcelain.
Once fired, they were installed on a beautiful, subtly striped wallpaper around a dining room.

“It came out even better than I could’ve imagined,” said Lukaszewski. “I was so grateful that the designer and the client had this idea. I’m not sure I would have ever thought to make green blossoms.”

What’s next:

American Craft Council’s American Craft Made show, Booth 833, Baltimore. Feb. 20-22.
Six works on view at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC. Feb.-May. Two of the works are in the “Humanist Touch: Works from the Weber Collection.” The show opens Feb. 7. The other four are on view in the James Renwick Alliance for Craft Member Showcase Display at the Katzen Arts Center.