Founded in 2011, Rive Gauche Craft is the creative studio of artist, designer and stylist, Katherine Elliott, based in Columbia, SC; Specializing in Graphic & Web Design, Illustration & Ceramics.

Pronunciation guide | “Rive Gauche” in French & English (Audio)

Instagram | @katherine.a.elliott

present

Illustration in oil and watercolor, and hand-built porcelain ceramic works. Currently available for commissions and collaborations.

Curator of StyleWhores Facebook Group - join us if you’re serious about the absurdity of high fashion & satire.

Based in Columbia, South Carolina.

past

Graphic & Web Designer working with local and international clientele.

Wardrobe stylist, fashion designer, and founder/curator of fashion blog, StyleMachine.

Former design intern at Calvin Klein Women's Collection, Derek Lam, and Bill Blass Group in New York City. 

Education

BFA - Fashion Institute of Technology

Summer Study - Parson's New School

Fine Arts Diploma - SC Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities

Intensive studies in: 

Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Painting, Life Drawing, Art History

How to Purchase

To purchase a work of art featured on this website, please send me a message including a detailed description or link / URL to the item’s location on the site to get started.

Art Events

Come to one of the Columbia, SC based art shows I participate in each year (except 2020). Join the mailing list (coming soon) to be notified of upcoming events where you can see my wares and make a purchase in person. In 2021, these events will be outdoors, with masks!

Studio Visits

At this time, all studio tours will be conducted virtually, except in special circumstances. To request a virtual tour, please send me a message and we can set an appointment using one of the following video conferencing applications:

Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom

Custom Work

Have something special in mind you’d like to commission? Send a message and let’s talk details.

Can it be shipped?

Many (though not all) works can be shipped safely to your address or delivered in person. We can discuss options prior to any exchange.

Packaging Materials

It’s important to reuse and recycle! The majority of materials I use for all packaging and shipping are re-used, most often from my own online purchases.

Payment Types Accepted

Payments for commissioned or ongoing projects are invoiced via Stripe secure checkout online. At shows and sales I accept cash and credit or debit payments via Square card reader or Cash App.

Background

I focus primarily on portraits and figures in my 2-dimensional work.

Peoples faces and hands can have so much expression, which is challenging to illustrate masterfully, and therefore all the more visually striking when executed. I have spent my life studying the angles and curves of humans, what they wear, how they live and what’s important to them - through drawing and painting.

Turnaround time for Commissions

Typical turnaround for a 12x12 portrait or smaller is 72 hours to 1 week, depending on my schedule; Turnaround for larger items is estimated per project - please get in touch and let me know what type of work you have in mind.

Illustration services

• Portraits & pets

• Fashion Illustration

• Story & Editorial Illustration

• Product or other Illustration

• Custom graphics or illustrated elements for websites & branding

Materials & Mediums: Watercolor, ink, pencil, paper, digital

Fine Art specializations

• Subjects - Portraits, figurative works

• 2-D Mediums - Oil, watercolor, ink

• 3-D Mediums - porcelain, ceramic

Since 2016 I’ve focused on creating hand-built ceramic sculptures and multi-functional vessels in organic shapes and adorned with insects, snakes, and flora. Porcelain is my favorite clay body to work in, although I do sometimes use fine stoneware.

Wheel Thrown or Hand-built?

Wheel thrown pottery is fun and beautiful, but I prefer to create hand-built works as they retain more of the imperfections that show the work was made by a human and not a machine. Authenticity is important - I never use ready-made molds or stamps, though I will occasionally make such tools by hand.

Why ceramics?

I love that ceramic mediums lend themselves perfectly to everyday use. Some artists consider this a “craft” rather than an “art”, but what’s important is incorporating beauty into every day life, so that the work can be used and appreciated daily.

The Maker’s Mark

Those little naked impressions on the sides of a ceramic work are not entirely accidental! These are the places where my fingers held the item as I dunked it into a carefully chosen glaze. I never try to cover these markings, because they cannot be made with a machine - they only appear on work made by a human being. This indicates both quality and an authenticity that is lacking in most modern goods.