Artist of the Day: Bridget Fairbank

by Carole Epp | Mar 5, 2011 | Uncategorized

Artist Statement
I am in love with every aspect and process involved in creating functional and beautiful clay items. It is very important to me that people use pottery. I believe in all sincerity that beautiful hand crafted objects heighten our quality of life and the experiences we have involving them. Doesn’t that cup of coffee feel that much better coming out of your unique mug?

There are many steps in the process of creating pottery which capture my imagination and many materials drive my never ending curiosity. The wares I create are wheel thrown. Throwing on the wheel allows for the fluidity and control I desire in my work. Creating form is a very direct process yet not simplistic, a form must be created that is structurally sound, functional and attractive. Even more so, it is important to me that the surface of a pot is appropriate to form and visa vera. I strive to make complete pieces where form and surface are thought of as a whole and not two separate entities. I am fascinated with glaze chemistry and how firing complementary clay and glaze materials can yield results that appeal to the senses through texture, color and pattern whilst supplementing form.

The processes that are used to produce functional pottery directly influence the type of work that results in the end, but there are many other factors that effect the end creation. Nature, Culture and Industry are three major factors in my work. My life and what surrounds me is channeled into my creations. I am interested in the narrative that is created when portraiture is imposed on a three dimensional mundane surface and how these images in series my influence our concept of time. We are conditioned in our society to recognize and relate to 2D images, as that is how much of our communication occurs (internet, advertising, TV, newspapers, magazines, children books, cook books…etc). Images are familiar and therefore we are comfortable interpreting them. On the other hand, we are not normally trained to interpret from in any formal way. Yet most people are able to recognize good form on a subversive level. I am constantly to striving to marry imagery and pottery in hopes of broadening the conscious public interest in the ceramic sphere. Most North Americans own ceramic wares and use them daily. By visual interaction with complimentary imagery I hope to foster an understanding of form and the hand crafted. I to do this largely by photocopy transfer techniques and free hand mark making. I ultimately create items that are entertaining, interesting, esthetically pleasing and useful that I hope many people delight in.

Biography
There is not one single occurrence that stands out in my memory where I became an artist. Looking back through my childhood in Nelson B.C.. I can only surmise that I was raised to think creatively, to observe and problem solve in a beautiful and intellectually engaging environment. One could say that I have always been interested in art. As I have always been creating art, even it is was simply though a certain thought process or procedure. In recent years my sense of practicality has strengthened somewhat. Craft slowly began to make sense in world filled with so many trivial, mass manufactured, cloned things. Ceramics provides challenging obstacles in all aspects of process and the product is always unique.

http://bpracticalpottery.wordpress.com/