Art and culture have always been central to the life and work of ceramist Daphné Verley. She was born into a family of designers and makers — among her 8 siblings are painters, photographers and architects; her father was an architecture professor at Syracuse University. “I was raised in Cazenovia, New York to French parents,” she said. “So we always had a foot in Europe.”

Daphné creates one of a kind, terra-cotta pieces; these days, the focus is on her series TOTEM, a collection of figurative sculpture celebrating women. “The totem series came about in 2012 after a difficult divorce,” she said. “These represent the different personalities in my life, female friends who are full of kindness and understanding.” Each TOTEM represents the qualities of a certain friend. Daphné is currently working on the 4th generation of the TOTEM series; several have been created on commission for various clients.

Daphné was trained as a production potter, and she has refined her technique for over four decades; though ceramics were not a focus early in her years as an art student. As a young artist she was interested in everything from painting to printmaking, but eventually focused on ceramics and received her BFA from Syracuse University. She also studied at the Hornsey College of Art, London and textile design at the Rhode Island School of Design. Once she settled on ceramics, she did not look back. “To think, I have done this for a lifetime,” she said.

Her work is characterized by both its intense and vibrant color, as well as its intricate designs. “I’m a frustrated painter,” she said. From Indian wood block prints to painting patterns not unlike what you might find on an Oceanic aboriginal didgeridoo, Daphné’s work is influenced by indigenous cultures of all kinds. “It’s imperfect but that’s good,” she said of a small interruption in the painting pattern of one totem. “I don’t want them to look machine made,” she said. “I’m enjoying that irregularity; it’s part of the human touch.”

And yet, despite her global reach and inspiration, Rhode Island is where, for about the past 8 years, Daphné’s art has been nurtured and created. “Rhode Island is full of artists, the light is spectacular, and it’s near the sea,” she said. “It still remains fresh and new to me. It’s a dynamic, creative environment in which to work.”

Her studio is full of works in progress, including several racks of pieces waiting to be painted, in the “greenware” stage, prior to the first firing. It reflects the way she works, in phases. “I always work in a series….first I focus on wet clay, then painting, then firing, then marketing. There is always a period of intense focus.”

“The marketing piece, I’m not so good at that,” she said. “That’s not my comfort zone.”

Each piece has a story, from her large totems and lamps, totem-like vessels with wonderful finials, that serve as a light source — to her smaller pieces, such as “Kites Contained”, an expression of her memories of flying kites with father on the Cape. She says she never quite knows what might serve as her next inspiration.

These days, Europe — and France in particular — continues to hold part of Daphné’s heart. Though her work, and client base, is here in the United States, her partner Christophe is a winemaker in Bordeaux, where she visits several times a year. Her work is in private collections internationally and has shown in numerous galleries including the Paul Mellon Arts Center, Joan Lukas Rothenberg Gallery and The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong. Currently, Daphné works and teaches from studios in Bristol, Cazenovia, and Bordeaux.

She knows her work is unique, and uniquely her — and she creates works that speak to her. “What I see selling is ceramics these days is uniform and earthy; I don’t see a lot of people working with color,” she said. “But I love color, things vibrate. That’s what resonates. And I follow.”