From
the age of six I had a penchant for copying the form of things, and
from about fifty, my pictures were frequently published; but until the
age of seventy, nothing that I drew was worthy of notice. At seventy-three
years, I was somewhat able to fathom the growth of plants and trees,
and the structure of birds, animals, insects, and fish. Thus when I
reach eighty years, I hope to have made increasing progress, and at
ninety to see further into the underlying principles of things, so that
at one hundreds years I will have achieved a divine state in my art,
and at one hundred and ten, every dot and every stroke will be as though
alive. Those of you who live long enough, bear witness that these words
of mine prove not false.
Hokusai - age seventy-five
This
passage instills in me the reality of life's achievements, goals and
personal growth. With each kiln opening my visions are realized. Some
positive, some encouraging me to adjust my work to accommodate the technical
elements of the ceramic process and to incorporate my personal style.
Having art at ones center instills an evolution of achievement.
I have worked with clay for many years and find myself currently focusing on surface decoration techniques. Traditional all over glazing has become passé for me. I am enjoying working with textured clays, dry slip decoration, color etc.
My formal training focused on wheel thrown functional forms. I became bored with the production type task of throwing and began to explore surface decoration. This has allowed me to throw or construct various forms, then explore them by working the surface. “The Texture of Daily Life” is a phrase that describes how I view my current work.
My graduate work included the firing process of raku.
This process is spontaneous and thrilling. The mystery of not having complete control over the final outcome is what compels me to continue seeking the “raku grail”.
I presently teach ceramics at the local community college and maintain a working studio. I am often overwhelmed by shear excitement of the countless possibilities which pass through my creative psyche. I have learned to control this energy and focus on the production cycle. Human life may be too short to explore all that I would like to, so I always look forward to the creative energy spent in the classroom and in my studio.
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