There are a few good reasons why I’m looking into applying for a residency at Medalta International AIR program; one of the reasons however is unrelated to making any of my own work (or maybe not) – it’s to go and meet today’s artist. I’m completely taken by Aaron’s work and the translucency of the clay body he’s developed. (yes he developed it, you can’t buy it in a store…sadness) Maybe if I get to go to Medicine Hat, i’ll find a way to get my hands on the recipe – as I reckon it’s got my beloved Southern Ice Porcelain beat….

About the Artist

“Inspired by the translucent nature of porcelain and the deep rich colours of his glazes, Aaron Nelson creates unique designs that are influenced by traditional Asian aesthetics as well as modern European design.

Currently Aaron is working with experimental, highly translucent soft paste porcelain that matures at an extremely low temperature. His interest in this new material, for which there are few historical precedents, grows out of a concern for the environment and reducing the carbon footprint of his practice. With his new porcelain body, he is able to marry the gesture, spontaneity and aesthetics of hand-thrown ceramics with material a generally associated with industrial ceramics. He is intrigued by the capacity of ceramics to engage global ideas that are both ethical and technological in nature.

After previous studio practices in Victoria, Chicago, Vancouver and Montana, Aaron Nelson is currently the Artistic Director of the Shaw International Centre for Contemporary Ceramics in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Aaron has taught in Canada and the US.”

You can contact Aaron about his amazing work or about the Medalta International Artists in Residence through their website www.medalta.org
or
Aaron Nelson
Artistic Director
e. [email protected]

(oh and keep yours eyes peeled for info about the Medalta AIR, i’ll be posting the 2010 info very soon…)

Last month when I was posting about some great Etsy finds I posted some of the work of today’s artist, Laura B. Cooper. You can see that post here. I loved the subtlety of her work, how a minimalist approach to decoration really worked to highten the reading of her forms and textures. So it’s with pleasure that I post some new pieces of hers today. Enjoy!

In her words:

“My name is Laura B. Cooper and I am a ceramic artist based out of Athens, Georgia, where I live with my husband and daughter.

The work I am currently focusing on deals mainly with gestural interpretations of various types of vessels. I am interested in texture, repetition, subtleties, and cadence that can be found in forms. I also find that irregularities which may disrupt the form and throw the viewer off a bit to be very fascinating.”

Make sure to stop by her Etsy shop for more images and to purchase her work.

When you’re away from an academic environment, whether you were there as a student or faculty (i’ve been both and I miss both tremendously) studio practice seems to be so focused on productivity and we (I speak for myself here) rarely afford ourselves the time for creative research, ie: messing about in the mud and trying out fun things with the kilns. When your livelyhood depends on successful firings and pleasing your customers and gallery owners, sometimes we miss out. It’s hard to remind ourselves to play, even a bit each day, as a warm up even. Maybe something I should add to my new years resolution list…

Anyhow I got thinking about this after looking at the remarkable work of today’s artist: John Dorsey and reading his blog dedicated to an interesting collaboration and an even more interesting kiln design…it reminded me of the community spirit, collaboration and fun that I miss from an academic environment. Time for this tired brain to be re-invigorated with a residency I think.

Here’s a bit from the blog:
“Welcome to the Green Fire blog where we will be bringing you the on going story of the Nobles and Harvard kiln building collaboration. This summer ceramic artist Masakuza Kusakabe conducted a workshop where participants helped build his innovative smokeless wood kiln.”

The kiln is a small, woodfired kiln that is smokeless, designed by Masasaku Kusakabe. This project is a unique collaboration between Noble and Greenough School, where John teaches, and Harvard University Ceramics Program, under Nancy Selvage.

And here’s John’s stunning work:

More images of his work are available on his website:
http://johndorseyceramics.com/home.html

In his email John told me that, “This collaboration has really changed my approach to my work. The availability of wood fire is so exciting and the immersion into Japanese ceramics in recent months has significantly charged my batteries. We’ll see where it all ends up.”

Indeed I’ll be looking forward to hearing more from John about the kiln as well as the impact of the collaboration on his studio practice. Please keep us posted John!

Well I didn’t get any text with Jim’s submission, but that’s likely because he writes one of the best (and often quite humorous) clay blogs out there and truly you should be reading about him and his work over at Sofia’s Dad’s Pots. I would not be able to do it justice over here. It’s normally my morning read over tea. He shares a beautifully evolving portrait of his life as an artist and father, weaving a narrative around the incredibly detailed and process-oriented pots he creates. I’m sure you’ll be enamored by both his technique and his inspirational daughter.

You can also purchase his work through good old ETSY here.

UPDATE: Here’s some written info Jim just forwarded me to include. Enjoy!

Statement – I am very interested in the complete cycle of creating clay objects. Functional demands inform aesthetics and vice versa creating an evolution that hopefully moves forward to better work. I like the imperfections that occur while aspiring to perfection and am learning to let them be. I do not set out with strict limitations and always allow some wiggle room to let something become something else. Consequently, each object’s creation is different for me and the immense frontier of possibilities keeps me exhilarated and wondering about the unknown results of the coming years of trial and error that all potters eventually get under their belts. For many years I’ve been drawn to certain drawing, painting and calligraphic styles and usually cite artists like Cy Twombly and Mark Tobey as influences along with my perception of Jung’s automatic writing but after many years of not really caring about the origins of influence, I’ve come to believe that I’ve always just been in love with what happens when a brush, pen or pencil makes contact with another surface and using shellac as a resist on dried, unfired clay allows the surface to be etched without losing the immediacy and spontaneity of such brushwork.

Bio – I was born in central NY state and moved south to Kentucky for college. This is when I was introduced to clay. I earned a BFA in ceramics and drawing and went west to Missoula, MT for graduate school. Things didn’t work out financially so after a year I switched universities and majors and spent the next 3 years getting my MFA in sculpture. After that, I moved to Louisville and started two businesses with my very best friend. Although both of the jobs initially allowed me to have a creative outlet, after the companies evolved a little I ended up doing less and less until I was mostly a manager. All this time, the clay was calling and when I found out 5+ years ago that I would be a dad soon, I figured if I didn’t jump in then that it probably wouldn’t happen. In retrospect this was the best decision I have ever made. Aside from doing what I’ve always wanted to for a job, being a potter has allowed me to work from home and be there 24/7 for my daughter and I feel we have all thrived because of this.

[email protected]
http://jimgottuso.wordpress.com