Category: Pottery

How does art change us?

10/4/2010

I recently went back to high school to pick up my Research Notebook for IB which I think itself is art. But while I was there I had the chance to talk to my teacher about a few different things but also about art and how it changes you as a person. We both came to the conclusion that art does not just give you a hobby or something to do, but art changes your entire perspective on life. I think why art is so ingrained and life changing is because true art comes from deeper than an assignment.
People who do what they love instinctively invest more time and effort into that project because they feel passionately about it. In the same way, artists are in essence pouring out their souls so that they can translate a message to the masses of people. What authors do in pages of writing, artists do in one picture, one painting or one vase. When I was learning to throw of the wheel, the tools that I was using were always described to me as an extension of your hand. But the real extension was the clay itself. The type of work that I did in class was often times dependent on my mood and emotions that day. Sometimes if I had an important exam that day, I wouldn't be able to throw well because I was so tense and distracted.
All of this is to say that art is a part of the life of an artist. When you buy a vase from a pottery, you are not buying just the skill of the potter, but also the emotion and the memories that go along with that vase. Our art is reflect of ourselves and our own views on life.

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The Art of Yunomi

5/26/2010

29 Comments

So early in my ceramics experience, an assignment that we did was focusing on cups and learning to throw different style cups. It was an interesting experience was we realized that being able to throw a cup exactly the way is harder than it seems. In addition to the cup, the potter needs to keep in mind the type of handle and the placement of the handle. All for a cup. But what I find intriguing and beautiful is the way that different potters make a cup.

Recent on Akar Design, they hosted a show in the Yunomi form. I love looking at the hundreds of yunomi cups that people had made and picking ones that I personally liked and then looking at ones that I didn't like.

The Yunomi Invitational is incredible. Here are some of my favorites.

Ted Adler

This is my favorite out of the entire invitational. I love the color and the texture of the yunomi and the undulation is beautiful. But I also see where the hand goes when holding the little cup. Yunomi cups are used in the Japanese tea ceremony and need to be both elegant and simple. This is the accomplishment by Adler. It has the right amount of change while still maintaining the form of the cup.

Alisa Holen

What I like about this cup is the lichen glaze and the colors. It is fairly obvious from my ceramics portfolio and my favorite picks that I love earth tones for pottery. I think it is because I think that the pottery should look like pottery and not like the a cup that you bought from the store. I needs to stand apart from american commercialization. Holen definitely accomplishes this with her work. She uses the simple and natural colors. I also like the added base. Even it seems out of place for a yunomi and a bit martini glass reminiscent, if you follow the lines of the shape the line is beautiful.

Harlan House

Simple.
Regal.
Precise.

Harlan House is one of my favorite potters. He can use both volume and size while still keeping the yunomi to look light. If I were going to perform the tea ceremony, House's yunomis would be without a doubt my first choice. I love this one.

Stanton Hunter

This again is an amazing cup. What I look for in potter is the artist to be able to maintain a sense for what the vessel is for and to combine it with their own perspective. I guess that would be interpretation but with recognition of the origin. The clash of east and west can be interesting but it can very easily become tacky or inappropriate if it is not down in a tasteful fashion.

On this yunomi, I love the black and white and the small dimple of the side of the cup.

This is asking to be held.

I want to try to do some yunomis like Hunters. The left are vessels that I made with a similar style. Black and White matte black with undulation.

Matt Long

Speaking of the clash of east and west, this is what Matt Long accomplishes. His piece has a southern and down to earth appeal but does not push the boundaries of the additives. In addition, his color choice is incredible. I had the opportunity to take a class with Matt Long and I would to here his theories on form and function. He makes things that have an aesthetically beautiful form while still maintaining the function of the piece...victory.

Alleghany Meadows

One of my favorite potters as well. Elegance and simplicity and he should know. For those of you who do not know, Meadows apprenticed under Takashi Nakazato which would be where I would like that he gets his beautiful form and simplicity. I also had the opportunity to take a class with Meadows and it was incredible to see how relaxed he was as a potter. I love the repetition and the uniformity in his work.

So those are my picks as my favorites of the invitational. For my final presentation last year, one of my pieces was my yunomi sets. I love this piece. But for some reason, I do not have that picture. Once I get it I will post it. It is one of my favorite pieces.

29 Comments

The Work of Chris Staley

9/16/2009

0 Comments

One of my favorite potters is Chris Staley. What I find exceptional about his work is the use of a basic form with alterations. He also has an incredibly beautiful sense of contrast and style.

The Artist:

Here is Chris Staley's Artist Statement:
"The essence of making pots for me is about being human. It's about fragility and strength. It's about the intimate moment when the handle of a cup touches the hand.Pots are about potential.
Pots can create a world of slow time where meaning can be found.
It is a notable experience to use pots that exude the soul of the maker.
All of our senses are engaged in this experience.
Very few things can be touched and leave one a different person. It is this paradox of who is touching whom that gives pots their greatest potential.
As a young boy I often played outdoors and made things out of dirt and sticks. I struggled sitting behind a desk at school. I knew very early that to survive spiritually I had to keep creating with my hands
With technology spreading at a very increasing pace my need to feel the world seems essential." (http://www.personal.psu.edu/cxs41/statement.html)

Very well written I love how his statement has a very natural flow and rhythm to it. But I what I see can connect with is statements about the pottery being an extension from the artist. I feel that everything we do, we put a little bit of ourselves into but something that we create is different. As humans, we innately have a sense of personality and individuality that is diverse from one person to the next. Consequently, we develop a signature that we embellish on all the things that we create. For Staley, the emphasis lies largely on the ordinary and the unique contrast, color change and the over flow of the piece. For myself, I focus of the contrasting colors and textures and vessels that have an ethereal weight about them.

2005 18" tall Ribbon Covered Jar
     I love this piece. It is like a person. The shape of the piece is beautiful and has that narrow foot ring which I personally feel is great. But what I like is how the piece can be so simple in nature and yet the surface technique can be so elegant that it transforms the piece. Additionally, I love the black and white contrast. I like that using black and white makes the piece have another dimension and takes the obvious feelings that colors exude.
     In art, there are certain colors that will give off different emotions. The warm colors are colors like red, orange and yellow and bring joy, optimism and happiness. The cool colors are blue, violets and greens and bring the connotation of sadness, gloom and tranquility. But if we as artists were to take away these colors and live in black and white, how would be able to make the audience feel that same way about the piece. Staley achieves this in my mind by using the swooping thick black lines to provide the audience with movement of the eye. In turn, this gives off the idea of vibrance and activity while being able to maintain elegance.
     Plainly stated, Staley is an amazing artist. I love the complexity of the concepts behind his work and the mystery that there is. I hope that art for me is about "being human".

For more on Chris Staley: http://www.personal.psu.edu/cxs41/default.html