Net~Works

I was invited to show my ceramic sculptures with Suzanne Dvorak’s beautiful paintings at Bunnell Street Gallery in March 2013: we titled this show Net~Works to reflect the net-like patterns and connections between our work.

NET~WORKS

Artist Statement

Made of wheel-thrown and altered stoneware, reduction fired to cone 10 with food-safe glazes, these 50 or so pieces are a collection of forms that I created to explore clay’s sculptural possibilities.  After throwing a closed form or joining two open forms, I carved the perforations without a pattern, allowing the shape to inform the final structure.  During the firing process, the pieces actually melt, shift and warp, adding additional fluidity to a material we usually think of as rigid.  Clay is often made into vessels or functional objects meant to contain food or liquids, but it is also able to become light, porous, and intricate.  The orbs might remind you of pine cones, buoys, seeds, shells, pods, husks, webs, nets, intersections, or many other objects.  I am inspired by both natural and man-made patterns, especially those that balance positive and negative space and that meld structural stability with an interesting pattern or sense of rhythm.  The bridges between spaces also relate to the process of working with earth, water, and the volatile kiln as well as the community created by artists.

Touch This Work

The sculptures you see have already survived a long journey from raw clay to studio shelf, two firings up to 2800 F, and several hair-raising dirt roads, and I really enjoy seeing people interact with ceramics in particular. When I’m in a gallery or museum, nothing tempts me more than beautiful craft locked in a glass case, away from curious fingers.  I hope that these pieces entice you to interact with them: so if you like a particular piece, go ahead, pick it up!