Things left Undone...

Why not have thought provoking imagery on intimate objects such as pots? We spend so much time with them. Why not use imagery to compliment forms and surface? The difficulty with wood fired pottery is that it does not seem to communicate the powerful ideas and ethics that permeate the history and the process of wood firing, to the non potter. This may leave innumerable beautiful objects overlooked by many, simply because they have no awareness of the skill, history and context of the object. I have chosen to combine my wood fired pots with common imagery. I would like to provoke ideas about the unseen, inner workings and foundations of culture and individuals. By utilizing this imagery to attract the attention of the audience, my intention is to draw the viewer in to perhaps take a second look, linger long enough to notice the surface quality, subtle colors, and handcrafted forms of these works. Quite frankly, I think that the survival of craft is dependent on this. As a craftsperson, I feel the need to evolve with and reflect the culture which I live in. As an artist, I feel the need to communicate to a broad spectrum of individuals those values and thought processes which are the foundations of my belief system as a craftsperson.
All rhetoric aside, I enjoy the marriage of imagery and form and surface in these pots. Whether this imagery enhances or detracts from the beauty of a wood fired vessel or just provokes questions, ideas or feelings, it is my intention to open up a dialogue amongst all those who enjoy and partake in the act of seeing.




. It may seem odd, to try to enhance something by adding more information. (is not the first ethic of the wood fired pot a reverence for a quiet, simple beauty?) From my perspective, human kind is racing at speeds faster than sound, overlooking the beauty that exists everywhere. Yes, an Attention Deficit Disorder race have we created ourselves to be. I find great camaraderie, inspiration and comfort within my own potter community, but I would be lying if I said that I was content to have the pots I make viewed and interpreted by only this community. Clay is an art medium, and I feel the need and responsibility to speak to a greater audience. Indeed, isn’t telling a fellow potter or ceramic artist about the subtle beauty of a carbon trapped shino, like preaching to the converted? Wouldn’t the world be a different place if politicians, CEO’s and lumberjacks alike could see the value of a wood fired pot? It seems to me that there are many TV watcher, plastic cup buyers out there who could be ‘tricked’ into appreciating the wood fired pot, if only something could draw in there eye to linger just one moment longer.