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Ceramics
Artist Statements
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DAN ANDERSON
EDWARDSVILLE, IL
“My artwork, an
amalgam of vessel
and industrial artifact,
is full of irony -
handmade replicas of
man-made objects,
soft clay renderings of hard metal objects, aged and important reminders of a once
powerful age. The oil and gasoline cans represent the
machinery that once threatened to devalue the work of
human beings. Now they seem just like the hard working
humans they served – stoic, dignified, straight-forward, but
worn out. The usefulness of machines in their original states
is limited as the products of progress. I have taken the
aesthetic and political ugliness out of industry, reminding
everyone that change can be both hurtful/traumatic and
positive/healing. Once again underscoring the power of area
to uplift the human condition. By firing the oil and gas cans
in my anagama wood kiln, I am convinced that instead of
merely heating the clay, the flame and ash have the
capacity to alter and enhance my clay cans.” NOT TOURING
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MARIANNE BAER
ST. LOUIS, MO
“This teapot cannot hold or pour tea. It is made of two sheets
of clay. When the clay is wet I put different textures into the
clay with any tool or object I like. When the clay gets hard
enough to support itself, I attach the two sides together and
fire it in a kiln, to about 1200F. Then it is all white and similar
to a flower pot.I then paint it with acrylic paint and color on
top with crayons, colored pencils, and more paint. Finally, I
spray it with a clear fixative so the color stars on. I hope you
can see how much I enjoy creating my artwork.” |
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SUSAN BOSTWICK
EDWARDSVILLE, IL
“My education in clay was focused on the
vessel and the meditative rhythms which
come from the discipline of repetition. I
imagined myself living in the country
making pottery; working through the
cycles of throwing and firing. Now I do live
in the country but find myself drawn to the
narrative tradition in ceramics. Utilizing
images which surround me: animals,
vegetation and barns; I combine flora and
fauna to explore the relationship between
form and surface and to refer to the cycles
that come with changes in seasons and
weather and life.” |
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RICK FORIS
AMHERST JUNCTION, WI
“My current work deals with my fascination with ceramics as it fits into the
historical perspective. I am interested in the ways that pottery lives in a particular
culture during any given era and the way the pots relate to the architecture of that
time. I am excited not so much with architecture as a whole, but more with
architectural fragments, basic motifs that are present throughout history; stairs,
gateways, openings in walls, monoliths, fragments whose meanings and functions
have been unknown or forgotten. I try to incorporate the feelings these mysterious
fragments evoke to create pieces that convey contemporary thoughts.” |
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KEN STANDHARDT
GILBERTSVILLE, PA
“After I throw each vessel on the potter’s wheel and it dries leather hard,
I trim its rough edges and indent the exterior geometrically with a variety
of handmade tools. In a single vessel, the number of indentions can vary
from one thousand to five thousand, each individually placed by hand.
Thus, no two are identical. Each vessel is given its own character
further by carving and incising the rim in designs that reflect Pre-
Columbian patterns and form. When the vessel is completely dry, it is
bisque fired and placed in an outdoor Raku Kiln. There it is heated until
it is glowing red. At that point it is removed from the kiln with tongs and
is buried in hardwood sawdust. This process is similar to the ancient,
simple pit firing methodology.” |
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