I’ve never thought of a ceramics sale as an art show until I rolled through the Still Life Studios in Ferndale.

It’s the blatant commerce of it all. Couples shopping for last-minute holiday gifts, one partner always a little more curious and willing than the other. To me, people browsing as consumers just look different than patrons stoically meandering through a museum.

Ceramics artist Kim Khamo changed my perspective with her display at Still Life, which rents out space, supplies and equipment to a wide ranging level of talent.

In less than a year, the Assyrian artist has developed a full-bodied artist identity through ceramics under her Nahrain Ceramics label. (Her work is pictured above.)

“A lot of my work is inspired by the geometric patterns of Mesopotamia because that’s who I am,” said Khamo. “That’s my roots. That’s my ancestry.”

She wasn’t the only artist there who convinced me there was more depth here than mugs and vases for sale.

Sara Zhao of Saratonin Clay brought a sense of sleek whimsy to her designs. It was surprising just how precise these artists can be with their handiwork.

Trent Bradley-Mitchell went a different way entirely, bringing a sense of horror, shock, deformity and disfigurement that stood proudly in contrast to the knack for cleanliness other artists gravitated towards. (An example is pictured at the top of this story.)

Amadeusz Sepko felt like one of the most complete artists on display, or maybe that’s just what a handle on abstraction and control can do for an artist’s vibe.

Did it have the decorum of a museum? No. Did it function primarily as a sale for the public? Yes.

But I think if you look a little closer at the ceramics displayed and the stories behind them, there’s more than mugs and vases for sale at Still Life.

“In The Groove goes to…” is published by WDET in partnership with Midbrow.