emerging artist: Seth Charles

by | Feb 18, 2017 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, technical tuesday

I
respond to the challenge that comes from making utilitarian work that
will become an intimate part of the daily lives of others. My work is
rooted in functional pottery, but I also understand the contemplative
role a pot can play in people’s daily lives, viewing the work in much
same way that one might view a painting or a sculpture. My work is not
highly decorated or ornate, but my forms and surfaces are very
intentional. Driven by traditional pottery forms, my primary concern is
the complex relationships between the form of the pot, the surfaces, and
the firing. I am very interested in the subtle differences that make
two very similar pots very different. I believe in making work that is
well made, but not precise so that no two pieces are ever the same.



My primary inspirations are the Japanese
concepts of wabi and sabi that view imperfection and irregularity as
forms of beauty. Shiho Kanzaki, in the History of Shigiraki Pottery,
defines wabi and sabi as “the fulfillment of sensibility beyond the
incompleteness of material things.” Wabi may be defined with words like:
asymmetry, simplicity, wizened austerity, naturalness, profound subtly,
and unconditional freedom. Sabi may be defined with words like:
restrained refinement and luster.



My work is inspired by the irregular
beauty of the natural world. It is easy to find geological analogies in
my work: rock fissures, lichen, moss, eroding wood, and dry lake beds to
name a few. Much of what happens in nature evolves slowly over time, as
does my making process. My pottery begins as wheel thrown and
hand-built forms that are altered in various ways allowing the natural
development of gesture and asymmetry. While I may have a preconceived
notion of the form, I give myself the freedom to stop and reflect along
the way, often times stopping before creating what I conceived,
discovering the form during the making process. It is this process that
preserves the natural, inherent, plastic quality of the clay without it
being over worked. I embrace the craft skills and procedures every
potter needs to control and manipulate wet clay, while allowing myself
the freedom to keep each piece fresh and different. It is
through an understanding of form, function, and the vocabulary of
pottery that the vessels created can be viewed as abstract sculptural
objects while retaining their function. 

I
attempt to make pots that reward examination and reflection. The wood
firing process adds another dimension to the composition, producing
surfaces that are rich with complexities. This firing method creates a
varied palette of colors and textures not achievable in any other way.
The work is loaded in the kiln either unglazed or with a simple glaze
that is receptive to ash and flame. Similar to geologic actions, heat
and pressure is exerted on the work. During the course of the firings,
the draft created by the chimney pulls wood ash and alkaline vapors
released by the heat of the fire through the kiln. The ash is deposited
on the ware in the path of the flame, and records the thoughts and
process of the maker and the kiln’s fire. I feel that wood fired
pots have the ability to bring us closer to earth and to nature while
creating a direct dialog between the user and the maker. – Seth Charles

www.sethcharles.com

movie day: A love of Mud ~ Kolkata and the Durga Puja

by | Feb 15, 2017 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, technical tuesday


A love of Mud ~ Kolkata and the Durga Puja from the source project on Vimeo.
 
The following words by The Source Project: 
“This
is just the beginning, the build up to the Durga Puja in Kolkata. Every
year, for for months throughout the rainy season, artists, workers and
families prepare for the largest event of the year. By using local
materials, clay from the river and straw from the rural communities,
some of the most talented artists create some of the largest and most
beautiful idols. Communities and families then purchase, worship then
submerge them in the Hooghly River. This is just the first part of this
devotional wonder…

Durga Puja festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil
buffalo demon Mahishasura. Thus, Durga Puja festival epitomises the
victory of Good over Evil.

Durga Puja is widely celebrated in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar,
Jharkhand, Orissa, Tripura and West Bengal, where it is a five-day
annual holiday. In West Bengal and Tripura, which has majority of
Bengali Hindus it is the biggest festival of the year. Not only is it
the biggest Hindu festival celebrated throughout the State, but it is
also the most significant socio-cultural event in Bengali society. Apart
from eastern India, Durga Puja is also celebrated in Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka and Kerala. Durga Puja is also celebrated as a major festival
in Nepal and in Bangladesh where 10% population are Hindu. Nowadays,
many diaspora Bengali cultural organizations arrange for Durgotsab in
countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia,
Germany, France, The Netherlands, Singapore and Kuwait, among others. In
2006, a grand Durga Puja ceremony was held in the Great Court of the
British Museum.

The prominence of Durga Puja increased gradually during the British Raj
in Bengal. After the Hindu reformists identified Durga with India, she
became an icon for the Indian independence movement. In the first
quarter of the 20th century, the tradition of Baroyari or Community Puja
was popularised due to this. After independence, Durga Puja became one
of the largest celebrated festivals in the whole world.

Durga Puja also includes the worship of Shiva, who is Durga’s consort
(Durga is an aspect of Goddess Parvati), in addition to Lakshmi,
Saraswati with Ganesha and Kartikeya, who are considered to be Durga’s
children. Worship of mother nature is also done, through nine types of
plant (called “Kala Bou”), including a plantain (banana) tree, which
represent nine divine forms of Goddess Durga. Modern traditions have
come to include the display of decorated pandals and artistically
depicted idols (murti) of Durga, exchange of Vijaya greetings and
publication of Puja Annuals.”
~ VIA Vimeo