Original works by a local ceramic artist are on display at the Randall-Story State Bank in Story City.

Ames resident Kate Fisher said her work centers on “humble pieces that people can use on a daily basis.”

Fisher wants her work to be useful in everyday life, but appealing to the eye at the same time, said Letitia Hansen, curator for The Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames.

“I wonder, `Is it going to fit right in their hands if it is a cup or a bowl? Will it still be aesthetically pleasing?’,” Fisher said. “You can see all the aspects the more you use it. It is like good friends – you learn the good and the bad aspects the more you get to know them.”

“For example, there might be an ugly spot you eventually grow to like. Or just the reverse can happen,” she added.

Hansen said Fisher’s art is “wood fired which gives the pieces a really earthy look with rich browns and oranges.”

All of these elements make clay “a really attractive medium,” according to Fisher.

“You can do a lot with it,” she said.

Fisher has been making ceramics for nearly 10 years. Her interest in ceramics began when she was attending school at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.

One of her professors introduced her to the medium.

“He opened up the door for me. I didn’t know much about the history of ceramics before,” she said.

Despite this she doesn’t pinpoint a specific influence on her work.

“I don’t think there is a person who influenced my work,” she said. “It is more or less a philosophy I go by.”

While in college, Fisher earned two bachelor’s degrees. One is in studio art with a concentration in ceramics; the other is in the art history field with a concentration in ceramics.

Today Fisher spends most of her time cultivating her craft.

“She is almost a full-time artist. Her full-time job is working with David Dahlquist at his clay studio,” Hansen said.

Fisher’s art will be on display in the bank’s lobby until Nov. 30.