Roam Ceramics is the professional work of west coast artist Lisa Eldredge. The name Roam came from her love of wandering about the west coast on adventures that inspire her work. After years of producing work under her own name, creating Roam Ceramics felt like the best way to fully encapsulate the evolution of her work.

Influences

I grew up on the water and in the woods around the San Francisco Bay, soaking up the sights, sounds, and flavors of the Bay Area. My earliest adventures included setting out solo in my little rowboat, Buttercup. Those adventures often entailed long daydreams, communing with seals, and frantic rowing while getting swept away by tides. With the Santa Cruz Mountains at my back door, an afternoon hike in the redwoods and oak woodlands balanced the ever-busy hum of bay area culture. 

In my early teens I left to travel the west coast on sailing ships. My incredible shipmates introduced me to a world of wandering, and taught me what it meant to truly live and love. While sailing, I ventured to new cities, slept under the stars, and lived in several coastal states before hitting dry land more permanently.

More recently, exploring the woods and mountain ecosystems of the west has scratched an itch I always had when I looked up and wondered how hard it would be, and how long it would take, to get to the top of the mountains I drove past. What was beyond the edge of the woods I passed by, where did the rivers and creeks flow, how to the foothills unfold and roll into mountain ranges? Today, the sights, sounds, and flavors of my travels, and the curious awkwardness in exploring both the familiar and the daunting ecosystems I call home, heavily influence my ceramics process.