Philosophy of Clay

I entered the world of pottery without any formal training in art or design.  Growing up, I was heavily influenced by the artistic nature of my mother, grandmother and aunts, and always encouraged to discover my own sense of art in the large craft studio my parents built over our garage.  As a young child and budding adolescent, I experimented with Sculpey Clay, creating figurines and jewelry to peddle  to neighbors and family friends.  It was not until I began to study at Mudflat, however, that I really understood the impact of form and function on pottery.

My first pottery teacher was Cary Atsalis, the lead studio tech and a teacher at Mudflat.  Cary's work is refined yet rustic.  He generally makes larger vessels with simple silhouettes, glazed with masculine, toasty tones.  He taught me the basics of throwing and always served as an early inspiration.  

My second teacher was Tracy Raymond.  Tracy is a very technical potter.  Her pieces are delicate, elegant and perfectly crafted.  She taught me to throw basic forms while also demoing more intricate tea-pots and lidded vessels.  I worked with Tracy for a year and learned a great deal from her methodical method and warm personality.  

In summer of 2011, I began working with Wayne Fuerst.  Wayne is originally from Wisconsin and currently resides in Southeast Massachusetts, where he teaches, throws and operates a gallery out of his home.  My very favorite mug in the whole world is one I bought from Wayne.  I mean, come'on, just look at it....

  

(Mug by Wayne Fuerst)

Wayne's pottery is funky, whimsical, perfectly functional and incredibly creative.  He has an endless imagination for altered forms and glaze decoration and proved to be a huge inspiration to me in my own  work.  Wayne encourages his students to experiment with the thrown form, altering it by cutting, stretching and bending the clay.  He is also very bold with his glazing; painting, spattering and layering colors throughout his pieces.  He nurtured by instincts to embrace pottery as a earthy, organic medium.

I see pottery as taking a literal piece of the earth and forming it into a functional, beautiful object to be used by living things.  The clay is the result of millions of years decay, erosion and elemental exposure. The clay body holds the history of it's place and time and the living things that once existed there.

We use this medium by forming it with out hands, body and mind.  Through the process of drying, bisque firing and glazing, the pot will hold memory of it's history.  Clay that has been over manipulated may warp, it's particles remembering it's previous shape.  Clay hold history that goes far beyond our time.  Pottery exists beyond the life of it's maker, serving as a physical example of expression and use to future generations of humans.

The tradition of pottery is deeply embedded in our human culture as a means of survival, innovation, societal development and artistic expression.  It is art that we can use everyday to make even the most mundane tasks a more pleasurable and art-ful experience.  Doing dishes is a lot more interesting with a sink full of handmade pots.  My goal is to make functional, inviting and earth-inspired art for everyday use.

I still have much to learn about this ancient art.  It don't always know what I'm doing.  My knowledge of pottery is still somewhat limited.  However, it is an expression that I have found great joy and gratitude in.

And that's all I got to say about that.

(Mug by RoseAnna Cyr)