Sloane Angell is a multidisciplinary artist whose ceramic work investigates the intersection of material, memory, and time. With an early foundation in pottery and a creative path that spans fashion, music, and sculpture, Angell brings a uniquely holistic perspective to contemporary ceramics. His practice is grounded in traditional forms, yet reaches toward the sculptural and conceptual—resulting in works that are as emotionally resonant as they are materially refined.
Exclusively for Todd Merrill Studio, Angell presents his Mycelial Forms series—an ongoing body of work inspired by the intricate, unseen networks of fungi. These branching, organic sculptures evoke the quiet intelligence and persistence of mycelium, functioning both as vessels and metaphors. They suggest a subterranean world where life, decay, and regeneration occur in continuous dialogue. Hand-built and intuitively formed, each piece grows from an initial sketch but evolves in direct conversation with the clay—honoring the material’s autonomy and resistance.
Angell’s relationship with ceramics deepened in 2016 during a formative apprenticeship with master potter Akio Nukaga in Kasama, Japan—where he remains the only American to have worked under Nukaga. This experience solidified a disciplined, reverent approach to craft that he has since evolved into his own expressive language. In his Los Angeles studio, Angell continues to explore the paradox of ceramics: the simultaneous fragility and permanence of fired earth.
Time is a central theme in Angell’s work—both conceptually and materially. His surfaces are often built up through multiple firings, layering glazes and textures to create subtle shifts in tone and depth. These physical processes mirror the temporal layers of memory and emotion that the work seeks to hold. As Angell explains, “Ceramic is not just a medium but a vessel in which memories, stories, and emotions can be stored and passed down for generations.”
Color plays an essential role in animating Angell’s forms. Earthy glazes and vivid hues heighten their drama, drawing attention to ridges, vessels, and intricate surface details that might otherwise remain hidden. His palette evokes the natural world—particularly the forest floor—while also inviting emotional engagement. The result is a visual language that is at once grounded and transcendent, tactile and symbolic.
Before establishing his own studio in 2017, Angell worked in fashion design for leading American brands in New York. He is also an accomplished DJ and music director, a practice that continues to inform the rhythm, layering, and atmospheric qualities of his ceramics. This interdisciplinary background contributes to a richly textured body of work that defies easy categorization.
Angell’s Mycelial Forms—exclusive to Todd Merrill Studio—stand as enduring vessels of time, transformation, and interconnection. They are contemplative objects that remind us of what lies beneath the surface: our shared biology, our collective memory, and the silent systems that sustain life.
