ABOUT ARKADY
Arkady Thompson is the ceramic artist behind Natural Inclinations Studio. Arkady was born in Augusta, Georgia, but spent much of her childhood moving around. The exposure to a variety of landscapes, cultures, and local history ignited a passion for nature and antiquity. With her fascination thus kindled, she attended Hood College in Frederick, Maryland where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and Archaeology with a Studio Art concentration in ceramics, and later a Master of Professional Studies from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Business of Art and Design, and has been an active member of the Potter’s Guild of New Jersey since 2024. She has shown her artwork in Evening Star Gallery and Art House Gallery, as well as curating her own solo exhibit at Rowan University.
Arkady specializes in porcelain clay, creating sculptures and lanterns that reflect themes from her continued interest in archaeology and anthropology. Her designs incorporate the plants, animals, and landscapes that influenced and affected the ancient cultures she studies. She uses her artwork to illustrate the connections between cultures and nature, and how their surroundings affected them.
Arkady creates lanterns out of translucent porcelain, coaxing the delicately thin clay into shape to create images that can only be seen when light is shown from the inside. She also creates sculptures of creatures that are found in legends and mythology from around the world. More recently, Arkady has been experimenting with a paperclay technique developed by fellow ceramicist Jerry Bennett which has greatly augmented her work, allowing her to use more dramatic poses for her sculptures and to build lanterns that have sheets of clay that can be thinner than a quarter of a centimeter in places. Arkady hopes to continue to experiment with the art of ceramics and push the boundaries of the medium in pursuit of her art. She relishes the challenge of creating unique and interesting pieces and seeing the enjoyment the viewer has with the finished products.
Right now she is focusing on creating for galleries, art shows, and applying for residencies and competitions.
ABOUT NATURAL INCLINATIONS ART
Mission:
Natural Inclinations Studio’s mission is to rekindle the joy for the natural world through the artwork of Arkady Thompson. Every piece of artwork is an expression of her creative process and incorporates her passion and fascination with the world around her. Utilizing cutting edge techniques and time-tested processes, she aims to inspire curiosity in unique cultures and interest in honoring our natural roots. Arkady uses her passions and research to drive innovation and push her skills and the clay to their limits, and relishes the opportunity to hone her abilities as a ceramic artist and pit her skills against the unpredictability of the medium.
Natural Inclinations exists to share Arkady Thompson’s unique perspective of the world and her love of history through her artwork. She formed the business to help her sustainably expand her skills and push the limits of her materials and tools while using her other interests as inspiration.
A deep breath, a little smile, and moment of peace. The ultimate mission of Natural inclinations is to cut through the stress of day-to-day life and share these little moments of joy with others and in doing so, connect them with the wonder of the world around them.
Vision:
Natural Inclinations seeks to expand awareness of the brand and Arkady’s artwork through gallery exhibitions, charity events, and artist expos. The aim is to ensure that each piece finds its home with a patron who will appreciate the beauty, artisanship, and spirit that Arkady puts into each artwork. Because of the uniqueness of the subject and the difficulty of the technique, Arkady’s work will be driven by inspiration and not commission, as she creates themed series for exhibition. This allows Arkady to push the boundaries of what is possible and to explore techniques that would otherwise be limited by the need to fulfill orders.
Values:
Sustainability |Creativity | Authenticity | Quality | Innovative
Natural Inclinations Studio’s values are reflected in every artwork created by Arkady and in the processes she uses to coax clay into form and vision into reality. In hoping to connect people with the natural world around them, Arkady stays true to her authentic self-expression and the many researched cultures that influence her work. Careful attention is given to ensure that cultures that influence her work are given respect and are accurately represented. Only pieces that meet her highest standards are permitted to be exhibited and purchased. In tribute to the themes of nature that permeate Arkady’s work, Natural Inclinations Studio strives to mitigate the environmental impacts of the ceramic arts by utilizing renewable energy, recyclable packaging, and environmentally neutral supplies where possible.