FG21_Emering-Artists-2020

Emerging Ceramic Artists Pottery and Ceramic Sculpture by Up and Coming Contemporary Ceramic Artists

This year we had over 300 submissions to the annual Emerging Artist competi- tion from artists around the world. The 20 artists chosen as this year’s finalists skillfully use a variety of techniques to convey a range of conceptual explo- rations. Several artists delve into historical and familial connections to differ- ent cultures and share personal experiences, memories, and dreams. Others examine topics like environmental issues and the contrast between perma- nence and transience, while also considering their own impact and resource consumption. Some of the artists foreground the importance of handwork by employting skills from diverse media. Several create with pattern, repetition, and modular forms, commenting on the value of labor and building compo- sitions to envelop the viewer. Numerous artists focus on utilitarian forms, add- ing narrative and tactile elements to develop a dialog with the user. All of the artists share an engaging, forward looking use of clay.—Eds.

Kelsey Bowen BILLINGS, MONTANA Ceramics Monthly: How do you come up with the forms and 1 surfaces that are prevalent in your work? Kelsey Bowen: I come up with the forms by fabricating a story. tion and feeling. After making a sculpture that contains all of the I’ll start with a single strong emotion or a memory that weighs sentiment and purpose I’ve coiled into it, I sit back and look at the persistently on my thoughts. I work to build a narrative that plays object and feel the weight of it. Sometimes I feel like I’ve cursed my on these ideas, choosing the characters and their forms and gestures characters with the burden of my grief. Other times, I’ve given life to best illustrate the story I’d like to tell. I love the process of invent- to a quirky, personal memory that hangs playfully from the wall in ing symbols for my narratives. I’ll place a figure on the back of a a gallery, taunting another character I’ve sculpted to stand beside it. stationary rocking horse, dress rippling in the non-existent wind, to talk about the desire to run away from somewhere you cannot CM: Who is your ideal audience? leave. I’ll play with how gesture can combine with an inanimate KB: I want my sculptures to inspire the viewer to tell a story. We object to convey feeling, burying the face of a character in a soft, each have our own voices and seek to find pieces of ourselves in the empty sweater they gently hold in their arms. artwork we relate to. There are always people who want to know the personal story behind a piece, but there are also those who come Because my subject matter can be heavy, I try to approach my bearing their own tales. I hope to hold a place where many differ- work with a dark sense of humor. I work to create figures that hold an innocence and brightness, while also giving them a heavy bur- ent voices can hear their own echoes from den to carry (or a sharp pair of scissors). My characters are very my work, bringing their personal much inspired by old cartoons and fairy tales and they exist in their memories and stories to unravel own world, apart from ours. This gives me freedom to play with the symbolism in my sculptures. how they interact with each other and how they navigate emo- Some people see the fairy tale, and some see the darkness. As long as my pieces continue to contain both, I’m happy with what I’ve made. 1 Kelsey Bowen’s For My Next Trick, 20 in. (51 cm) in height, ceramic, underglaze, fired to cone 2, 2020. 2 Kelsey Bowen’s Round and Round They Go, 13 in. (33 cm) in width, ceramic, underglaze, fired to cone 2, 2019. 2 www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 2

Guy VanLeemput HERENTALS, BELGIUM Ceramics Monthly: What techniques do you use to make your 1 work and why? Guy Van Leemput: Thin coils of porcelain are modelled piece by ing to open the kiln. When a work has become what I hoped for piece with a wooden stick on a balloon. I start at the bottom of the and I gently take the bowl into my hands, I feel such deep happi- bowl and slowly work toward the top edge. Sometimes I draw the ness and am truly moved. That is the real reason for me to make pattern I want to follow on the balloon, sometimes I work purely these bowls. It is my hope that others may feel the same emotion. intuitively. When the balloon is removed, I have a wafer-thin bowl in my hands. This bowl is fired upside down on a support made CM: What do you see as the current trends in ceramics and where from unfired clay, thus allowing the processes of gravity and melt- do you see yourself in the field? ing to act out their parts during the firing and influence the final GVL: I’m glad there’s been more focus on ceramics lately, both for pot. The high firing temperature of 2336°F (1280°C) is needed for the craft of the potter and for the unique pieces of the studio ce- strength and translucency of the porcelain. Wood firing creates a ramic artist. Nevertheless, I am convinced that there is much more beautiful white bowl with a sparkling, subtle pattern of glaze from potential. I hope that the increased appreciation that some of the ash deposits formed during the firing. pioneers of ceramics will allow Being a mathematician was a big help in designing my method many artists to persevere in fol- for firing very thin, translucent bowls. The heart dictates the form, lowing their own path. It is my the head makes the decisions. Each result shows me who I am; conviction that in this way you more knowledge allows for yet a deeper discovery. It’s always excit- can find your deepest self and really contribute to that beauti- ful world of ceramics. 1 Guy Van Leemput’s Big Mind Circles, 11 in. (28 cm) in diameter, porcelain, handbuilt on sa balloon, paper, flax, wood fired to 2300°F (1260°C), 2018. 2 Guy Van Leemput’s You Are My Cathedral, 10 in. (26 cm) in diameter, porcelain, handbuilt on a balloon, paper, flax, wood fired to 2 2300°F (1260°C), 2018. 1, 2 Photos: Dirk Theys. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 3

Jackie Head INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA Ceramics Monthly: What excites you about the field of ceramics? 1 Jackie Head: I love how everything is constantly changing. Peo- ple continue to find innovative ways to challenge themselves and shapes I develop for my installations. From there, I am able to their studio practices. I once had an undergraduate professor, Tim bring the patterns to life by sculpting them three dimensionally. Mather, remind me that ceramics has been around for thousands of years and not to worry about making something that has already Repeated patterns and forms allow me to create a sense of com- been made, because everything has been made before. Despite this fort or tension for the viewer, as well as myself. The process of de- fact, ceramic artists continue to find ways to explore and share new veloping my installations is very personal and allows me to reflect ideas and approaches with the material. There is a collective hunger on my life. It offers a space for me to process and cope with the in our community to keep pursuing this crazy passion, and we keep world around me. The repetition of slip casting allows me to con- moving forward. sider the world and capture what I am going through at that time. My drive to pursue ceramics stems from the feeling it gives With my color selections, I am able to further push the emotions me. Being in my studio makes me feel like I’m right where I conveyed to the viewer and to further capture my reality. Creat- need and want to be. It’s exciting to think that other people ing densely packed tile installations with brightly colored tiles can have that same connection, and that we are all so passionate bring joy to a viewer. However, if contrasting colors are placed next about this material. It ties us together in so many ways, and I to each other in a densely packed installation, it may convey ten- think that is another reason why our community is so tight knit. sion or anxiety. Within my own body of work, I feel like there is still so much more for me to learn and explore, as if I’ve just seen the tip of the iceberg, which is exciting. CM: What roles do color and repeated forms play in your work? JH: Colors and patterns are at the root of my work. I begin all of my pieces with sources of inspiration—mosaics, fabrics, wall- papers, and shapes found in my surroundings—that inform the 1 Jackie Head’s Kaleidoscope II, 3 ft. 4 in. (1 m) in length, porcelain, fired to cone 6, paint, 2019. 2 Jackie Head’s Convergence, 8 ft. (2.4 2 m) in length, porcelain, glaze, fired to cone 6, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 4

A  ndy Bissonnette ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA Ceramics Monthly: What techniques do you use to make your After the pot is thrown work and why? Andy Bissonnette: All of my forms start on the wheel. Throwing and trimmed, I begin the is what initially attracted me to making pottery and it continues to be one of the more fulfilling parts of my process. It may appear carving process by dividing that the lines and patterns that embellish the surface of my pots are the most recognizable aspect of my work, but starting with a strong the surface into 6 to 30+ sec- form is of the utmost importance. The shape of the piece will be noticeable before a viewer interacts with the patterns, so establish- tions, depending on how large ing a well-crafted pot takes priority over the line work that adorns the surface. the piece is. Horizontal bands that frame certain areas of the pot establish hierarchy. These bands also provide some breath- ing room, which is important to balance out the busy surface. Parts of the piece that aren’t carved will 1 be brushed with terra sigillata and polished. The dynamic between the vel- vety carved surface and the polished clay creates visual interest and guides the viewer’s eye around the piece. The blackened clay body is achieved by submerging the pot in a bucket of sawdust after the piece has reached 1800°F (982°C). While technically American Raku, I choose not to use the flashy or metallic glazes that many people may associate with this process, and focus more on the atmospheric effects that are attainable as the pot cools. The interaction between the terra sigillata and sawdust can create silver or copper hues that add some spontaneity to the tightly thrown and carved pots. CM: What do you think is the role of a maker within our current culture, and how do you contribute to furthering that role? AB: Throughout history, artists have been responsible for docu- menting the struggles and achievements of society. Whether pro- viding a critique on the political or economic issues that we face to- day or a source of inspiration and beauty, artists play a pivotal role in our daily routines. Pottery, though, has often straddled the line between craft and fine art, and I think the work I’m currently mak- ing continues to blur that line. I want my pots to be able to bring a moment of solace or contemplation into people’s lives—whether that be turning on one of my lamps as you sit down to read a book, or simply pausing to look at a piece as you pass by after a stressful day. I want this work to instill a sense comfort and beauty that is often overlooked in our chaotic lives. 1 Andy Bissonnette’s two-tiered vase, 22 in. (56 cm) in height, carved and burnished stoneware, terra sigillata, fired to cone 06, reduced in sawdust, 2019. 2 Andy Bissonnette’s flat-top jar, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, carved and burnished stoneware, terra sigillata, fired to cone 06, reduced in sawdust, 2 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 5

Casey Whittier KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Ceramics Monthly: What techniques do you use to make your 1 work and why? Casey Whittier: Rolling, dipping, pinching, squishing—you name me to translate a form from one material to another and repeat a it. Each work requires something different of me as a maker, and form many times over. Firing individual units (like beads) and then I stay open to that. I work from a question or feeling first and try stitching them together brings me in conversation with fiber, bead- to marry it with a way of making that brings the idea full circle. ing, and jewelry practices. My techniques are deceptively simple. I My objects are metaphors. Process, technique, form, and labor are find deep meaning and endless possibilities in taking these different concepts in my work—they are more than a means to an end. Us- processes and expanding or adapting them through my work. ing small, handheld extruders and a knife allows me to move from a single line or coil into a series of smaller lines and then into indi- CM: What do you think is the role of a maker within our current vidual units, or links. My work is built one line at a time, one link culture and how do you think you contribute to it? at a time, one minute at a time. CW: Makers are translators, inquisitors, archivists, connectors, and imagination inciters. Art has a way of folding the extremely difficult Craft, historical processes, and materiality are conceptual focuses and complicated things into the extreme joys, mysteries, triumphs, in my work. I research and adapt processes from ceramic and non- and beauties of life. When we do that through our work and our ceramic traditions like lace making, crochet, and metalworking. In interactions with others, we make work that is vulnerable enough addition to sculpting directly, I make and use molds, which allow to be potent, relatable enough to be engaged with, strange enough to warrant attention, and salient enough to shift a perspective. The obvious ways that I contribute are through teaching, ex- hibiting, and working with Artaxis (https://artaxis.org). However, I think it is actually much simpler and smaller than that—I use my practice to account for my time on earth, to research, to create connections, to ask unanswerable questions, and to model what I want to see. Being a maker keeps me connected and responsive to the physical world and the world of metaphor. Not all of those things are evident in any one work of art, but they are integral to my process and to how I understand myself as a contemporary artist. I believe that artists are adept at seeing what is not yet evident. We re-imagine. We observe closely and record time and interaction through our creations. We make. In doing so, we start conversations, offer experiences, and find value and interest in unexpected places. 1 Casey Whittier’s Weather the Weather/Whatever the Weather, 3 ft. 8 in. (1.2 m) in height, earthenware, fired to cone 1 in oxidation, steel, 2018. Photo: Brandon Forrest Frederick. 2 Casey Whittier’s Slowness, 5 ft. (1.5 m) in height, 2 earthenware, earth, fired to cone 04 in oxidation, steel frame, 2019. Photo: T. Maxwell Wagner. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 6

T  aylor Sijan LINCOLN, NEBRASKA Ceramics Monthly: What techniques do you use to make your 1 work and why? Taylor Sijan: I use a combination of wheel throwing, altering, and CM: What do you do to push yourself to stay engaged and develop handbuilding. I throw because I enjoy the immediacy of manipu- new forms? lating the clay, the subtleties of using muscle memory to create TS: Comfort and utility are important parameters for designing form, and the bulbous volume that can be quickly captured. I al- my vessels, but what interests me most about making functional ter the thrown pieces by darting and adding handbuilt elements objects is that there are endless possibilities for development de- formed by pinching coils or pressing slabs into bisque or plaster spite the constraints. There is always something to improve upon, molds. The altering produces interruptions in the continuous, whether that is exploring the nuances in form and proportion or thrown curves, with resulting seams referencing layering that I fur- communicating concepts such as beauty or celebration. ther explore while decorating each piece. Being a graduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln I am interested in making complex, asymmetrical forms as a basis motivates me to be engaged, innovative, and critical of my explora- for dynamic surface design. The compositions feature painted, slip- tions. I receive feedback from my faculty, learn techniques from trailed, and stamped plant motifs that create movement around peers and visiting artists, and experiment with a range of materials the piece. I balance quieter, monochromatic spaces for contempla- and equipment. Taking risks, learning from failure, and thought- tion with areas of celebratory color to create harmony. Layers of fully considering criticism are the keys to continual growth as an mark-making techniques and the use of glazes that move and pull artist. I experiment with a batch of pieces in each making cycle, colorants engage the viewer through tactile and visual complexity. which has led to exciting new developments. These layers of ornament and textures entice the eyes and hands to move around the form, into the interior, and underneath. Most importantly, I use my pots and the pottery of others every day. I contemplate my experience and listen closely to what experi- Beyond operating as beautiful, aesthetic objects, my pottery ences others have when interacting with my work. I think about has the added experiential function of utility. I want the complex, occasions for use and what could be enhanced about the interac- intriguing surfaces and forms to lead to intimate connections be- tion between people and pots, then I begin making new iterations. tween the user and my work. 1 Taylor Sijan’s Rainy Pitcher, 12 in. (30 cm) in height, porcelain, underglazes, fired to cone 6 in oxidation, 2019. 2 Taylor Sijan’s lidded box, 8 in. (20 cm) in 2 diameter, porcelain, underglazes, fired to cone 6 in oxidation, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 7

Y  ewen Dong JINGDEZHEN, CHINA Ceramics Monthly: What techniques do you use to make your 1 work and why? Yewen Dong: The clay-drawing installation process begins with CM: What is the most challenging aspect of working in clay? putting wet clay on a wall. The clay dries slowly and eventually YD: The unknown is the biggest challenge. peels off. As time passes, the installation decays to fragmented clay scattered on the floor. The crumbled clay has the history of being I learn things, make good friends, work with many great teach- touched and it leaves its residual history on the wall as a palimp- ers, and travel, all of which relate to clay. The longer I work with sest. Once the work is de-installed, the residue, the fluid marks clay, the more deeply I want to figure out my relationship with resulting from washing away the remaining clay, and the original this generous medium. I give clay a shape and form through my tracing that is revealed will become part of the next work. In this hand in a visible way, and it shapes my life and career slowly and way, the work lives with its current, residual, and palimpsest states gradually in an intangible way. As an artist, sometimes I’m waiting. simultaneously. Waiting to communicate to the solitary audience who is inside my body. I invite that interior person to communicate with a broader I worked in ceramic tile installation for years, but over time my audience in order to understand myself, as well as to bring up and work has shifted to clay-drawing installations. Working with clay exchange ideas with different people. that can be fired as a permanent object, and using it as an unfired, temporal material gives me more space and time to reflect on the One current challenge is that since finishing graduate school, my life cycle of this material. I slow down my pace and rhythm to life and creative path have become blurred; however, while wander- observe my clay drawing on the wall as it progresses from wet to ing in the unknown is uncomfortable and challenging, clay helps dry, from a smooth surface to a crackled surface, from being on the me to remain calm and to focus. wall to the clay peeling off. I feel the intimacy between clay and myself. I make the work through the gesture of touching the clay, and the clay’s response to the environment helps me to finish the other part of the work. 1 Yewen Dong’s 1 by 4, 8 ft. 3 in. (2.5 m) in length, unfired gray clay, gray acrylic paint, light coral acrylic paint wash, 2019. 2 Yewen Dong’s Much Ado About Noth- ing, 11 ft. 2 in. (3.4 m) in 2 length, unfired red clay, charcoal gray paint, 2017. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 8

J  uan DBeaJrreossuos OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA Ceramics Monthly: What excites you about the field of ceramics? 1 Juan DeJesus Barroso: In the last six years since I started work- ing with clay, I have found that the clay community is made up can labor, what the immigrant does to survive, and the conse- of individuals who are selfless, friendly, tolerant, helpful, and open quences at the border in the search for labor. With the current po- to collaboration. Seeing the artists around me make beautiful and litical administration enforcing dehumanizing policies, recognizing unique expressions of their souls out of a mundane and humble an immigrant’s humanity is vital. As a result, my work has become material like clay continues to inspire me. more political, and I find yet again that the clay community is ac- cepting and tolerant of different backgrounds and opinions. When I started my first ceramics class, I was afraid to express my Mexican-American identity and the fears that come with being the CM: How do you develop the forms and narratives that are preva- son of undocumented immigrants. My mentor and friend Stuart lent in your work? Asprey provided a safe space. He helped me see that the hybrid- JDB: There is a story tied to each image I paint. It is usually a ity of two-dimensional imagery on three-dimensional form was a personal story, or the story of a family member, but always a story good reflection of a bicultural and bilingual identity. He pointed that has shaped my personality, values, or simply continues to affect to the centuries-old traditions of the ceramic narrative. I realized me. The form is then chosen based on the content and concept of clay is fragile, like a Mexican-American identity due to the process the image. With the help of my mentor and friend Brooks Oliver, of acculturation. Clay is also permanent, preserving and protecting I learned how to make molds and strive for the marriage of image what is recorded on its surface. Clay proved to be the perfect canvas and form. for honoring the immigrant experience. An example is Honoring Our Janitors, a coil-built mop bucket, Ceramics offers a platform from which our voices can be heard. which was made to honor the labor of janitors in schools—labor After my parents became legal residents, I began to focus on Mexi- that often goes unnoticed or unappreciated. In high school, I no- ticed many students would ignore the janitors, walking past them as if they were invisible ghosts. My mother used to clean houses, driving around with a bright pink vinyl sign that said, “Lucy’s House Cleaning Services.” I observed a lack of respect for the jani- tor, and so in high school I was embarrassed of that sign. Years later, while working the closing shift at Michael’s, I was mopping the restrooms as clean as my mom would have left them. I real- ized yet again the dignity with which she worked to provide food and a decent education for me. I coil built this mop bucket while remembering my job, remembering my mother’s house-cleaning job, and placing the easily overlooked image of a janitor on a small corner of the bucket. 1 Juan DeJesus Barroso’s Honoring Our Janitors, 23 in. (58 cm) in height, low-fire clay, stippled underglaze illustration, fired to cone 5 in oxidation, 2020. 2 Juan 2 DeJesus Barroso’s No More Deaths from Dehydration, 7 in. (18 cm) in length, low- fire clay, stippled underglaze illustration, fired to cone 04 in oxidation, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 9

Kimberly LaVonne KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Ceramics Monthly: How do you come up with the forms and nar- 1 ratives that are prevalent in your work? Kimberly LaVonne: I’m always thinking about the bulges and grate ideas surrounding mortality and the means through which we folds found in human anatomy when I cut my slabs, loosely refer- are able to mourn, commemorate, and devote space for those we encing historical anatomy illustrations and wax models that I have wish to remember. encountered in person, such as those found at the La Specola mu- seum in Florence, Italy. The shapes are intuitively drawn onto slabs CM: What role does color play in your work? in one fluid motion; once cut, this edge guides the composition as KL: Currently, I’m utilizing a very simple palette of black, white, the imagery is collaged together. Repeated rows of teeth reference and gold (occasionally platinum, too). The drawings are initially my fascination with the bones of saints in reliquaries and their dec- sketched out using fine and directional lines; I then transfer that orative applications within crypts. They act as small mementos to same style of illustration onto my clay forms via sgraffito and the whole and also have a figurative quality of their own. Intestinal mishima techniques. When using sgraffito techniques, I love the imagery encloses borders of compositions, alluding to the duality pop of white clay showing through the black slip and playing with of the viscera folded within us, not only as anatomy, but also as the weight of the carved line like I would with a drawing in my the essence of our own being. The floral motifs evoke a sense of sketchbook. celebration in life and sentimentality in death. Papaya, patacones, and nanche are woven in as a nod to my Panamanian heritage. Similarly, reliquaries are often adorned with gold and colorful These are personal mementos from my childhood; the myths and fabric and jewels. I prefer to let the amalgamation of texture and tales from this time sparked my curiosity and desire to seek out the imagery act as a stand in for adornment on my forms. Gold ac- preternatural in regards to the body and death. By bringing these cents evoke a sense of importance or specialness. They also refer- concepts into the home via functional and familiar objects, I inte- ence gold fillings for teeth, or an accent to a saintly figure’s halo. 1 Kimberly LaVonne’s Hope Selloum, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, stoneware, slip, glaze, fired to cone 6, luster, fired to cone 018, 2019. 2 Kimberly LaVonne’s Gaze, 9½ in. (24 cm) in length, stoneware, slip, glaze, fired to cone 6, luster, fired to cone 2 018, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 10

Lukas Easton ALFRED STATION, NEW YORK Ceramics Monthly: What techniques do you use to make your 1 work and why? Lukas Easton: Going to the studio every day is the most important their own lives. Makers have the opportunity to inject a new and tool in my process. If I have enough pieces in progress, there is no maybe unconsidered perspective into viewers’ lives. This new vari- time to sit down. Additionally, if I find myself stalling, I move on able is a chance to reconsider preconceived ideas about the complex and start the next idea, then circle back when I am ready, thus add- and contradictory world we live in. My practice and my work are ing to the studio momentum. I am easily distracted, so I often work about investigating comfort and discomfort, good and evil, normal in silence and leave my phone at home—disconnecting allows for and deviant. It is easy to grow comfortable with my own world- more focus on my work. view, so I attempt to question those views and be open to new ways of understanding existence. Go vote! For most of my time in ceramics, the wheel has been my primary tool, giving me a language to frame my ideas within. Now I am 1 Lukas Easton’s September 24, 2019, 5 ft. (1.5 m) in height, stoneware, fired developing new ways of exploring these same ideas off the wheel. I to cone 10 in reduction, 2019. 2 Lukas Easton’s Memory Still Life (front) and have also been very interested in carving. I started out using bent Tethered to My Past (background), to 4 ft. 6 in. (1.4 m) in height, stoneware, razor blades to do all my carving, and now I use wood carving tools glaze, fired to cone 10 and cone 1, gold luster, wax, graphite, 2019. that were made during my time in Indonesia. I have always been a bit of a tool junky; however, more recently I have been limiting myself to only using three or four tools at a time. This helps foster creative thinking and new ways of making. CM: What do you think is the role of a maker within our current culture and how do you think you contribute to it? LE: I hope to spend the rest of my life examining this question. I am writing this as I sit in my studio wondering how long my school will be closed and how humanity will respond to the COVID-19 pandemic currently encircling our planet. What is the role of the maker in an America without toilet paper? Is the maker irrelevant or critical to the current world dialog? Above all, I believe the role of a maker is to first ask these questions and then engage fellow humans in ways that cause them to pause and ask questions about 2 www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 11

Paul Maloney SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN Ceramics Monthly: How do you come up with the forms (or sur- 1 faces and colors) that are prevalent in your work? Paul Maloney: With an array of vessels to choose from, I most of- fabulous makers. Whether the artist focuses on utilitarian pottery, ten seek out the cup as my primary pottery form. Humble in both clay painting, sculpture, or performance art, the entire spectrum size and intended utility, the cup as an object retains a recognition has expanded during my short time working with this material. that is universal. Allowing the viewer to intimately feel engaged and Trends emerge, disappear, and come back, but I have encountered disarmed by the small proportions of the object makes it easier to a constant that remains—employing the clay material as a mode of then begin diving into the story told within the microcosm con- expression. In the future I hope that my continued efforts support structed by the maker. With minimal, self-assigned parameters, I and contribute to the avenue of cup makers, both for utilitarian quickly decide whether to preserve or eliminate utility. From there it is a dance, as I begin to willingly embrace the unknown and seek and non-utilitarian purposes. I make many things, and a narrative within the cup that can go many places. Using glaze value them all greatly, but none I cherish more than the as color and texture, creating movement with marks, and build- killer cup—for its multitudinous ability to comple- ing identity for each piece develops progressively through multiple ment and camouflage how we feel in both public and firings, adding more complexity and layers until each piece feels intimate moments. comfortable in its own skin. CM: What do you see as the current trends in ceramics and where do you see yourself in that field? PM: I’ve always been amazed by the wide variety of work that the ceramics field has to offer. Over the last ten years, I’ve trav- eled and worked throughout various institutions with a slew of 1 Paul Maloney’s Tall Bar, 8 in. (20 cm) in height, porcelain, underglaze, glaze, multiple firings in oxidation, 2019. 2 Paul Maloney’s Bananaramma, 6½ in. (17 cm) in width, porcelain, underglaze, glaze, multiple firings 2 in oxidation, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 12

T  oni Losey DARTMOUTH, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA Ceramics Monthly: What role does color play in your work? 1 Toni Losey: Color is integral to my work. Color has the ability to help communicate mood and life so beautifully; the possible CM: What do you do to push yourself to stay engaged and develop combinations and resulting intentions are endless. In my attempt new forms within the field of ceramics? to communicate life through ideas such as a beginning and an end, TL: There are so many aspects of ceramic and the ceramic process I have found color a tremendously useful tool. Bright greens hint at to keep you both on your toes and moving forward. For me, glaz- new growth, patches of creams and whites suggest bleaching coral, ing acts as a catalyst in my attempt to marry technical/material burnt oranges and reds may signify changes in season. Color adds process with conceptual prowess. Glazing is a bottomless hole of vibrancy, depth, and another level of possibilities. I have pushed both frustration and inspiration. One exists because of the other myself to not fear color, but rather to embrace it fully and draw and by embracing this, the potential exists to bring out the very inspiration from the life found in our oceans to the fresh growth best in my work. occurring in our forests and fields. Color exists within a set of con- notations, and we all have our own interpretations. Though per- My forms are about movement and growth and I work to cap- sonally, I believe certain consistencies are found within our im- ture and explore these ideas within my making. Glazing takes what pressions of color that function as an emotional pulse or common the clay is insinuating and pushes it further; it’s not just an acces- denominator to guide toward universal reactions. sory, it is an accomplice. There is such joy in literally capturing the movement in glaze. The ability to freeze it in a moment of time, contain its fluidity, and then use these qualities to exaggerate the movement within a work—this is everything. Push and pull, beginning and end, in and out, hard and soft; the tension found in these oppositions propels me in my work. I look for my work to capture a moment, a mo- ment where a transition is occurring. This shall be a never-ending and tenuous pursuit. I can only hope to capture such fleeting moments one piece and glaze approach at a time. 1 Toni Losey’s Sample: NER-00-4-3, 4 in. (10 cm) in height, wheel-thrown earthenware, handbuilt porcelain, slips, glaze, fired to cone 6, cone 08, and cone 09, 2019. 2 Toni Losey’s Sample: NFL-00-12-57-1, 3½ in. (9 cm) in height, wheel-thrown and handbuilt earthenware, slips, glaze, fired to cone 06, cone 2 08, and cone 09, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 13

Dane Hodges MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 1 Ceramics Monthly: What do you see as the current trends in ce- My current work positions me on the outside of these trending ramics, and where do you see yourself in the field? aesthetics. It really is a fine line between creating what you are com- Dane Hodges: Because of the overwhelming selection of trends, pelled to and following the trends to ensure relevancy and sales. I’ll focus on those relating to functional ceramics. Honestly, sometimes that decision is a difficult one. I am currently experimenting with how the concepts can be applied to my work Alternatives to common glazes are trending, be it underglazes, in a manner true to my aesthetic. engobes, terra sigillatas, or simply raw clay. Because of the visual impact and tactility of these surfaces, many artists combine and CM: How do you come up with the forms and surfaces that are contrast glazes and alternative matte surfaces or use little to no prominent in your work? exterior glaze at all. Often times the use of these materials mani- DH: When planning forms, I focus on fluidity and an organic aes- fests in illustrative designs, geometric color blocking, or in a rather thetic related to floral buds, pistils, bulbs, as well as other natural expressionistic application. In addition to this, I have noticed that elements. Often, forms manifest as full bellied and voluminous ceramic artists are using red/black/colored clay bodies. I see these with flared altered rims. Recently, I have enjoyed creating straight- trends as both an embrace of and departure from traditional pot- walled pots with slight inflation, to juxtapose the curvaceous ones. tery. It is great to see that though similar materials and surfaces are In either case, I am drawn to clean, full, and elegant forms. prominent, we are presented with such different finished results. In developing surfaces I came across the Begonia maculata, which has dark green leaves with surprisingly uniform white spots. There was something striking about these and I began applying an even more rigid version of this surface to some of my work. I spent quite a while formulating glazes a few years back, and in doing so, I experimented with layering a dark green and white matte glaze. Layering promotes movement and flow, allows for breaking almost white in areas where the matte glaze is thicker, reveals variations in the high-iron gloss, and leads to changes in color from pot to pot, or kiln to kiln. Variation in an otherwise controlled making process adds some warmth and softness. 1 Dane Hodges’ whiskey sippers, 3½ in. (9 cm) in height, wheel-thrown, etched, and altered porcelain mix, glaze, fired to cone 6 in oxidation, 2019. 2 Dane Hodges’ medium jar, 6½ in. (17 cm) in height, wheel- thrown, etched, and altered porcelain mix, glaze, fired to 2 cone 6 in oxidation, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 14

Iren T  ete CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA Ceramics Monthly: What excites you about the field of ceramics? 1 Iren Tete: The art world has been quite accepting of artists working in clay. In turn, the ceramics community is progressively more and I work in mini series. This starts with a clay form; quick, im- more accepting of research outside of the field. It is an interesting permanent sketches; and a few objects based on that initial form. relationship to witness and participate in. Repetition also plays a role in the way that I construct my lattices. They are built piece by piece, serving as metronomes that mark When using clay, I consider its material properties—what it their time. is able to do and how I can use those properties to transform an idea into a three-dimensional form. This continues to diversify the CM: What do you do to stay engaged and develop new forms? forms that I am making. IT: Reading and writing both play an important role in idea gen- eration and form creation. I spend time reading the words of poets CM: What roles do color and repeated forms play in your work? such as Rainer Maria Rilke and Ada Limón as well as listening to IT: I have always been highly specific in my use of color. This body the spoken word of Paul Morley. Their word use is beautiful and of work employs a primarily monochromatic color palette based often confusing. I love that and want my work to embody both of on a particular color theory that affects my conceptual and formal those characteristics. decisions: Staying engaged with my practice is easy. It is just as important White is emptiness. It is a beginning, waiting patiently to un- to take breaks from the studio as it cover the endless possibilities that await it. Black is strength. It’s the is to pursue new avenues of research end of the day, a journey fulfilled. Desaturated pinks and yellows that lead to surprising new work. I suggest the memory of a feeling or thought. Bleached by the sun’s want to be surprised. This past year rays, the vibrancy of their color is now a memory. has been about learning to trust my- self, my work, and the symbiotic relationship that exists between the two. 1 Iren Tete’s It Always Stayed, 3 ft. 5 in. (1.2 m) in height, terra cotta, porcelain, white maple, 2019. 2 Iren Tete’s Words are Like Ghosts, 5 ft. 8 in. (1.8 m) in length, porcelain, 2 stoneware, engobe, white maple, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 15

J  ared Peterson RED LODGE, MONTANA Ceramics Monthly: Who is your ideal audience? 1 Jared Peterson: I’d like my work to be seen by everyday folks. In my art, I repeat simply rendered motifs—dogs, birds, mailboxes, CM: What do you think is the role of an artist within our current fence posts, cow skulls, and cacti—to create relatable narratives. culture, and how do you think you contribute to it? By making my motifs and characters both iconic and repeatable, JP: An artist’s role is to create art that continuously challenges what viewers can easily enter the stories I tell. Similarly, my art employs the artist knows about themselves. As a second-generation Mexican humor and cuteness. I use these qualities to evoke a physical, rather American born in New Mexico but raised in Appalachia, I take than cerebral, initial reaction to my work in order to draw people in inspiration from traditional Mexican crafts in order to recontex- with a smile or laugh, freeing them from the pressure of finding an tualize those objects with my multicultural lens. Alebrijes (folk- immediate meaning in a piece of art. In turn, the work emotionally art sculptures of fantastical creatures), Arboles de la Vida (Trees of disarms viewers, allowing for organic and personal investigation. I Life), and papel picado (perforated paper banners) are all examples never want to alienate a viewer by seeming too haughty. Employ- of crafts made by families or unknown artisans, and were some of ing a little humor and lightheartedness makes art seem less like a my first introductions to Mexican culture. By incorporating the big, intangible idea and more like an everyday experience we all forms, colors, and whimsy of these traditional crafts that attracted participate in. me as a child, I honor the artistry of these cultural objects and their makers for audiences unaware of their existence. In this time of na- tional racial tension, I have an artistic responsibility to discuss my Mexican heritage and credit the craftspeople and creative traditions that inspire me to make. Using traditional forms with my motifs of American suburbia and tropes of the American Southwest allows me to explore my Mexican heritage and my American introduction to it simultane- ously. I explain the ways in which I am naive to much of Mexican culture, but take pride in my exploration of being a multicultural American. The US is a hub of multiculturalism, and we all partici- pate in the American experience. My work invites viewers to not only celebrate my personal cultural history, but also that of any person who looks to understand more of themselves and where they came from. 1 Jared Peterson’s Dog Totem Vase, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, wheel-thrown, altered, and slab-built stoneware, slips, underglaze, glaze, fired to cone 3, 2017. 2 Jared Peterson’s New Bones, 32 in. (81 cm) in height, slab- and coil- 2 built terra cotta, terra sigillata, underglazes, nichrome wire, fired to cone 04, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 16

Emilie 1 Bouvet- Boisclair CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Ceramics Monthly: What current trends in ceramics are engag- with drippy or pock-marked glazes. Vases are altered in a way that ing to you? Where do you see yourself and your work within the shows the generous nature of wet clay. context of those trends? Emilie Bouvet-Boisclair: A trend I have noticed is the use of nar- I apply this concept to my pieces in a subtle manner. A deli- rative. Phrases like “pottery is political” are now part of the ceramic cately painted bird teapot may have a roughly formed tree-branch lexicon. Strong work emerges from art that has conviction. handle and almost crudely sculpted flower accents to round out a composition while allowing areas of interest to remain the focal A mug or bowl is an approachable object; it beckons to be picked point. up and turned around, thus it becomes a unique way to start a conversation with the user. My work speaks to conservation and CM: What techniques do you use to make your work and why? basic rights for the animals and humans that inhabit this earth. EBB: I collect new techniques and add them to my mental library I have created nesting bowls that tell the story of faulty fishing of decoration and mark making. I use inlay, sgraffito, tinted clays practices, and often represent animals with expressive faces in my used as slips or marbled together, and gold luster applications on work. Fish and birds are frequent subject matter. While they don’t my pieces. have eyebrows or facial characteristics that help us connect emo- tionally with other animals, like dogs or cats, by adding an element Drawing from an oil-painting background, I often layer different of character and playfulness, I hope to foster a deeper connection techniques on top of each other, say an orange-tinted slip brushed and speak to their intelligence and their right to thrive in healthy on greenware, finished with a touch of translucent maize glaze add- habitats. ed after bisque firing, which adds depth to the color. Looseness and spontaneity of background brush strokes helps to add movement Another trend in contemporary ceramics is letting the properties to a piece. I also use tinted slips at attachment points for added of clay and glaze show in finished works. Sculptures are enveloped interest in the sculpted elements of a piece, letting it ooze around the edges. I am interested in the honesty of the handmade item. I want to leave elements of the making process in the finished work. 1 Emilie Bouvet-Boisclair’s Parrot and Butterfly Mug, 5 in. (13 cm) in width, porcelain, colored clay, underglaze, glaze, fired to cone 6 in oxidation, 22k gold luster, 2019. 2 Emilie Bouvet- Boisclair’s Puffin and Rainbow Bowl, 12½ in. (32 cm) in diameter, porcelain, colored clay, underglaze, glaze, fired to cone 6 in oxidation, 22k gold luster, 2 2018. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 17

Diana Butucariu VENDELSÖ, SWEDEN Ceramics Monthly: What excites you about the field of ceramics? 1 Diana Butucariu: As a ceramic artist, the palpability of ceramic materials 2 inspires me, as does the fact that you follow the material like a companion through all its life stages. I love how deeply connected the material is to nature, and to human history, and how we keep finding new uses for it, in medicine, science, and technology. I enjoy the communal aspects of working with ceramics, like building a kiln together and working in shifts to complete a firing. When working with ceramics, sometimes you really need the help of your colleagues to move or process a big, heavy piece, and I enjoy this feeling of common achievement. There is also the excitement of working with fire, seeing how it transforms the clay. You can try to anticipate the changes that will occur during the fir- ing, but the end results are always a surprise. The fired ceramic object ceases to be a malleable material and becomes a document; looking at the finished piece, you can retrace the steps it took to get to that stage through the im- prints of fingers and tools. CM: What do you think is the role of a maker within our current culture and how do you think you contribute to it? DB: In my artistic process, I make sculptural objects using different tech- niques from craft fields. Diversity in materials, textures, and colors creates the feeling of the pieces being in flux, rather than resting, and invites the viewer into a dialog about identity, cultural differences, traditions, and social norms. I think the role of a maker is to slow down time, make people pause and connect to an object, and hopefully question some of their assumptions about life. To me, being a ceramic artist means using clay in any construc- tive way, whether creating teapots or making floors and houses from earth and clay. At this point in time, I feel that it is important for ceramic artists to experiment with new techniques and technologies, and search for more ecological ways of living using ceramic materials, perhaps in collaboration with researchers in different fields. The world is so full of things, and with everything I make, I feel a certain guilt for adding another object to the planet. Lately, I’m working more with the pieces in my head than with actually making them. When I’m actually in the studio creating, the pieces become compositions combining differ- ent ideas, making it feel almost like it is another artist making the finished piece. I have many ideas for pieces that I don’t know if I will ever have time to realize, so I keep working on them in my mind to not forget about them. 1 Diana Butucariu’s Trying to Connect I and II, to 27½ in. (70 cm) in height, stoneware, fired in oxidation to 2282°F (1250°C), 2017. 2 Diana Butucariu’s Templum IV, 23½ in. (60 cm) in height, stoneware, fired in oxidation to 2264°F (1240°C), 2018. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 18

Noemi Iglesias Barrios LANGREO, SPAIN Ceramics Monthly: What do you think is the role of a maker 1 within our current culture, and how do you think you contribute to it? CM: How do you make decisions about which forms and color Noemi Iglesias Barrios: It is important for makers to know tradi- palette to use in each of your pieces? tional ceramic methods and use them to generate a more contem- NIB: I introduce performative processes as a starting point in most porary discourse. Learning the basic and more complex techniques of my works, so form and color are not the first things I think and understanding through testing material qualities and limits about. I normally go through immaterial methods, compiling situ- enables makers to develop a language within a medium and express ations in order to mold or define a set of possible results, creating ideas using a range of diverse outcomes. the environment for a constant circulation of knowledge. Then, when the times comes to develop the piece, I usually keep it white Within my work, I introduce the technique of industrial flo- and unglazed. ral production to outline the current commodification of falling in love. Through this technique, I also explore how emotional If, for conceptual reasons, I need to change the appearance of the patterns are socially assumed as commercial icons to produce a surface, I add some high-temperature colored stain to the porcelain romantic utopia, transforming sentimental experiences into con- body as a reflection or suggestion of a particular direction of mean- sumerist strategies. ing, concept, or action. 2 1 Noemi Iglesias Barrios’ Diao Ni, 11 in. (28 cm) in height, slip-cast porcelain, pink pigments, handbuilt white and red colored 19 porcelain, fired to 2336°F (1280°C) in oxidation, 2018. 2 Noemi Iglesias Barrios’ Everlasting Love, 8½ in. (22 cm) in length, slip-cast porcelain, handbuilt green and purple colored porcelain, fired to 2336°F (1280°C) in oxidation, 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists |

J  oann QuiNones RICHMOND, INDIANA Ceramics Monthly: How do you come up with the forms that are 1 prevalent in your work? Joann Quiñones: My ceramic and multimedia figures are hybrid look at the work together, and become aware of how their own forms made up of different individuals’ body parts. I make a life personal histories or perspectives inform their responses. I hope cast of a torso, face, or leg, make a mold, and then slip cast multiple that they talk to each other, ask each other questions, and start a parts. On occasion, I have to sculpt together different body parts dialog about the things that are hard to discuss, such as the legacy to look like one unified (although mythic) person. My process to of slavery and colonization. create forms is labor intensive, and because so much of my work questions the history of labor, the process and the content go hand in hand. Slip casting is a technique that allows for the mass produc- tion of pottery, and I am fascinated by the way figurative sculpture can be combined with this process. I use terra-cotta and porcelain casting slips because I love having a connection to the history of each of these materials. Even on surfaces that are not ceramic, like the wooden bases, I reference ceramic tile patterns from Puerto Rico and Spain. CM: Who is your ideal audience? JQ: Because I reference so much African American, Caribbean, and Puerto Rican culture, I think people familiar with these histories will recognize the symbols I incorporate. However, I don’t have a specific audience in mind. Rather, my ideal wish is that people of different races, sexes, and ethnic and economic backgrounds can 1 Joann Quiñones’ Toussaint of Ward Avenue (detail), 7 ft. (2.1 m) in height, porcelain and terra-cotta slips, fired to cone 06, Osnaburg linen, coffee-stained muslin, Dutch-wax prints, digitally printed organza, ruff, indigo, gilding, pearls, acrylic paint, 2019. Photos: Morgan Stephenson. 2 Joann Quiñones’ El mito del regreso (The myth of the return) (foreground), Toussaint of Ward Avenue (back right), Exilio (Exile) (back left), 2 2019. www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 20

Lynne Hobaica BAKERSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA Ceramics Monthly: How do you come up with the forms and nar- 1 ratives that are prevalent in your work? Lynne Hobaica: I am inspired by the beauty and struggle of the take root through shared moments, and those shared stories are stories we experience, often finding humor in moments that were carried on past our end. I process, hold onto, and find meaning in once painful or embarrassing. life by cherishing and memorializing shared moments. Hands are the place I often start as I think about and build my A good story builds up from small details, revealing surprises as work. Our hands are powerful instruments for communicating it’s told. I approach making art similarly, painting narrative im- with one another. I make sculptural hands with painted layers built ages onto the surface that reveal characters pulled from personal up on a ceramic surface that tell intimate stories similar to the way and historical mythologies and fairy tales. The characters hold an scars and wrinkles might on our own hands. emotion or gesture that the viewer might connect with, perhaps recognizing an old friend, a past lover, or themself. My work is fueled by an awareness of death, and how that aware- ness propels the way we live and navigate relationships. Our stories CM: What do you think is the role of a maker within our current culture and how do you think you contribute to it? LH: There is beauty in the diversity of what it is to be a maker and value in the many reasons we choose to make. I can speak on my own role and how I hope that my work impacts others. Sharing stories is how we connect with one another, learning each other’s histories, fears, and passions. I consider myself a vi- sual storyteller, and share my stories and deepest emotions in the language I speak most fluently—clay. I paint images with the hope that the viewers will find a connecting point, a way to see them- selves in the narrative. These somewhat surreal images can be fa- miliar but jarring, causing the audience to pause and question the direction that the story might go. Through sharing stories or emo- tion, we build empathy. Through challenging reality, introducing a sense of magic, we slow down, reflect on what we are seeing, and try to make sense of it. I make work to celebrate or process the challenges and discomforts we endure in our lives as moments of growth—inviting understanding, compassion, and patience for moments shared with others. 1 Lynne Hobaica’s Maybe now is a good time to leave, 6 in. (15 cm) in height, earthenware, fired to cone 5 in oxidation, china paint, Astroturf, 2019. 2 Lynne Hobaica’s You very nearly fed us all, 17¾ in. (45 cm) in height, earthenware, fired to cone 5 in oxidation, china paint, luster, Astroturf, 2018. 2 www.ceramicartsnetwork.org | Copyright © 2020, Ceramic Publications Company | Emerging Ceramic Artists | 21

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