Pottery

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10217/180173

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 41

Open Access
Paige Schreckengast: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Schreckengast, Paige, artist
The artist's statement: My work is inspired by an investigation of Ghanaian textiles, such as Kente and Adinkra cloth, as well as Muslim architecture, which I have discovered in my recent travels. I am interested in the breaking down of geometry within these textiles and buildings to create dynamic patterning. I start with a series of drawings and paper models that reflect this patterning and geometry and then translate my ideas into clay forms. Drawings and paper models allow me to focus on my forms both as individual shapes and as grouping to form larger multiples. Once I have found an interesting shape, one that allows for a sense of edge contrasted with a quality of softness, I am able to determine what aspects of my ideas are working towards consistent forms that are easy to replicate. I use the multiples I construct as a building block with which I can then create a visual narrative of my investigations. Through the aggregation of a family of shapes, such as a grouping of rectangular forms, I seek to develop individualized units through a narrative of my process and touch. Each form is unique and through the collection of these forms one begins to see the variations. I see the individual unit as inadequate, a fraction in a larger spectrum. Through replication I arrive at a series of pieces, and it is only through the rhythmic patterning of the multiple forms and shapes that I discover a feeling of an expansive aesthetic. I aim to create a sense that the composition holds no ending and that my process of replication could continue to create an innumerous amount of forms.
Open Access
Taylor Myers: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Myers, Taylor, artist
The artist's statement: I am interested in the way functional objects enter our lives in everyday rituals and special happenings. I use comfortable accents and scale to speak to utilitarian use during daily rituals then embellish the pieces so they stand out during momentous occasions. In my life these balances of events (routines and celebrations) define my relation to objects. My most treasured memories come from parties and gatherings with close friends and family. I seek to create forms that speak to these occasions but that can conversely be enjoyed in everyday routine. My sources rely on the inspiration of sensuality and beauty. My intention is that the pieces generate intrigue long past the initial viewing. I look to specific historical examples to inform my work. I draw inspiration from Tudor and Elizabethan style fashion for the voluptuous shapes and rich textures. I then turn to the design of 1920's art deco style to inform my color pallet and surface decoration. I am attracted to art deco's use of rich colors and voluptuous shapes. This exaggeration is carried out the in forms of Elizabethan style dress with emphasis on rounded forms and billowy fabric. I am interested in these styles because of their exuberance and embellishment of human figure. I take the elements that best display to the viewer sensuality, voluptuousness, comfort, and beauty to create objects that have historical references without being overtly obvious. I utilize my favorite parts of history to create comfortable, functional objects. These pieces reflect my rituals and important gatherings that create distinctive meaning in my life.
Open Access
Molly Post: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Post, Molly, artist
The artist's statement: "We stand in greater need of diverse, changing relationships than we do of things. We need people, and their words and thoughts, and desires and sufferings. These are the true elements that constitute the human environment." - Eulalia Bosch, The Pleasure of Beholding. My pots bring to light the beauty in the process of practice as daily ritual and the human experience of the environment. My pieces focus on the interplay between the practice of the processes of wheel throwing and choreographing as expression of movement. The two processes, although seemingly different, coexist to me personally as a continually evolving discussion that influences human interaction and experience of the physical world. The act of making, with its physical repetition of practice, records the movement of the body. I articulate this idea through my use of a repeating rhythmic pinched pattern as well as subtle details in line and color. The movement of dance, existing in a fluid realm of time and perception, speaks to the visual movement of my pottery, perceived by the eye as well as experienced through the hand of the user. My pots also connect my own personal practice and daily rituals to the viewer through experience of the objects of ritual in the environment of a meal. By embracing the warmth and familiarity of a family meal in the home, my pots evoke a timelessness through memory and a pleasurable lightness. Seeking to bring meaning beyond simply existing as objects, my pots invite human interaction through serving vessels, asking the user to humbly participate through a daily ritual of connecting and sharing.
Open Access
Steven Meyers: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Meyers, Steven, artist
The artist's statement: My current ceramic work is derived from a specific process. The process involves using found forms to create one-part press moulds. I choose shapes that stack and reflect sensibly and interestingly. Shorting, measuring, cutting, and shaping allow these hollow units become building blocks for larger forms. Drawing from an extensive shape library provides endless combinations. The building process becomes a similar challenge to writing or poetry. With access only to the forms in my library I am forced to seek out harmonies, rhythms and the rhymes that connect them. To ensure successful compositions I must use care and attention when selecting forms to mould. Noting characteristics like height, diameter, texture, and volume is necessary to create formally sound pieces. With as few as six moulded shapes over 700 combinations are possible. Constantly collecting shapes for my library will allow for millions of possible combinations. Using found forms, I am able to strip the original item of its function and transform it into a formal building element. Through reflection, repetition, and fusion, the viewer is not initially aware of a specific object or source. By leaving evidence of press moulding and leaving exposed joins, the viewer may eventually recognize the presence of a moulded form and modular building process. The viewer's familiarity with certain forms creates ambiguity, making assigning a function to the objects difficult and perplexing. Ideally, this tends toward a captive visual study of the individual objects. I wish to mimic and play off the surface of the source objects and echo that in glaze. Most all of the objects in the library are smooth and glossy. Many of the objects are brightly colored plastic some are metallic. It's from these objects I source bright colorful lazes that add to the playfulness and intuitive creation process of the pieces. The addition of metallic, matte, and exposed clay adds textural variety.
Open Access
Megan Lightfoot: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Lightfoot, Megan, artist
The artist's statement: My current body of work includes functional ceramics. I am drawn to the fact that functional ceramics can develop a relationship with someone, becoming a part of their everyday life. Something as simple as a cup can be so personal when it's made to fit perfectly in one's hand. When a cup is used repetitively, one begins to notice all of the subtle parts of that cup that make it so likeable. The forms that I create are specific to their functions, typically inspired by historical Islamic pots as well as Islamic architecture, such as arches and domes. While the pots are being thrown, I am constantly thinking of how surface design elements will be able to interact with the forms in such a way that enhances specific parts. My pots are intentionally thrown very smooth so that the only interest that the surface provides comes purely from surface design created through drawing with under glaze, wax resist, sgraffito, stamping, and glaze. The combination of these processes creates complex patterning throughout the forms, which adds repetition to the surface, drawing one's eye around the piece to each of the parts that I intend to be noticed. These patterns are typically derived from a simplified version of patterns found in Islamic tiles, Indian Henna designs, and mandalas, as well as Islamic, Indian, and Moroccan textiles. When looking at the patterns used in these , I find shapes that tessellate together well and place them onto my work in such a way that it creates interesting positive and negative space within the pattern. I also use surface design to draw the viewer's eye to specific parts of a piece that I intend for them to notice, such as the spouts on my flower vases. These spouts function as the focal points of the vase form when not in use, as well as the place where a flowers stem and the vase interact when the vases are in use. In order to elaborate on the spouts, I embellish them with designs that are more complex than the rest of the piece, instantly drawing the viewer's eye to it.
Open Access
Esther Schwepker: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Schwepker, Esther, artist
The artist's statement: What attracts me to clay is the history of the material; bringing people and cultures together through dining, art, architecture, and stories. I was reading an Irish fairy tale about a man who stumbled upon a leprechaun and his treasure. The man marked the tree with a red ribbon, planning to dig up the pot of gold the next day. When the man returned, the leprechaun had tied a ribbon on every tree of the forest. When reading this tale I thought about history. How ancient artifacts of long passed cultures are buried deep in the earth and lost. Humans are in search of that lost past but never truly understanding what they discover. Each teacup is a lost artifact entangled in the roots of time. As time passes, these roots obscure the artifacts as well as their context. As I have worked on this piece, I have also become entangled in the roots, their surface quality, glazing and structure. This piece shows life deep under the earth, a representation of hidden stories, cultures, and humanity.
Open Access
Kelsey Leppek: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Leppek, Kelsey, artist
The artist's statement: "At the moment we see something beautiful, we undergo a radical decentring... we cease to stand at the center of our own world. We willingly cede our ground to the thing that stands before us." ~ Elaine Scarry. Using a well-crafted, handmade cup elicits the same simple joy that you might experience upon waking early to watch the sun rise, or taking a moment to smell the spring blossoms of a crabapple tree. These experiences awake our alertness, calling our attention to the intricacies, inconsistencies, and flickering instances of humble beauty that fill our world. My pots draw inspiration from my surroundings: the landscape of the Rocky Mountains, the delicate patterning of plants in my garden, and the dynamics of changing seasons. I translate these phenomena into forms and surfaces that reference traditional tea ware. These objects will someday immerse themselves into their own ceremonies and daily rituals - preparing a cup of coffee, conversing with a friend over tea - while celebrating the nuance and beauty of these customs.
Open Access
Logan Casebeer: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Casebeer, Logan, artist
The artist's statement: Exploring ideas of formalism and abstraction, this body of work reflects aspects of the human form that have been extracted and distilled into shapes and shadows. Individually inspired from the human body each piece is pared down from its original form and combined with qualities seen within the world around us. While each piece is meant to resemble specific qualities within the human form such as nourishment, subsistence, and sustenance, the later use of ceramics as a medium reminds us about the potential vulnerabilities of the human body. Using slip casting as a tool I am able to create specific lines and shapes within my work. Starting with solid plaster forms I am able to handle the material much differently than starting directly with clay. After creating plaster prototypes I create negative impressions of each piece that later become one, two, and three part molds. This process slows me down forcing me to spend more time with each individual form and develop my overall outcome of ideas. Inspired by the body I want to reintroduce these forms to the public through physical experience and functionality.
Open Access
Ellen Dougherty: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Dougherty, Ellen, artist
The artist's statement: Nature normally influences my work. However, in this project nature is still the main theme but I explore the idea of using the form of found objects as a basis for transformation into new shapes or combinations, adding another dimension to the original object.
Open Access
Katie Smith: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Smith, Katie, artist
The artist's statement: There are certain associations that people make with ceramic objects; the cup you drink your morning coffee out of, or the vase that you pull out when you are given flowers. These associations, and the forms that embody them act as my starting point from which I would like to see how drastically I can stretch the form while still maintaining function. I search for a form, which could function as a cup or a bowl or a vase but might not be recognized as those things at first impression. The objects cannot be approached as readily as you would approach a more familiar cup in your cupboard, but hopefully they require more playful, thoughtful interaction. The form of my pieces require a slower approach; the user is required to be aware of the form when deciding which side of the rim is best suited for a lip or which opening each stem of a bouquet should be put in, or which curve of the surface the food would sit best on. Comfort and ease of use come secondary to intrigue and meaningful interaction. This kind of playfulness and curiosity that exists when someone approaches and object that is familiar but still foreign to them, is an interest of mine that continues in my thinking about surface design. Color, pattern, symmetry, and asymmetry can be used to both simplify and complicate a form or a composition. I try to use pattern and color in a way that challenges what you expect. I want a surface to confuse the space that it is in or the form that it is on and allow the viewer to focus in or out moving back and forth between areas of pattern and form. I use pattern as a tool to flatten three-dimensional space as well as to provide dimension where there is none.
Open Access
Kate Homel: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Homel, Kate, artist
The artist's statement: The forms I make come from memories of my childhood: objects found in my grandmothers house, pinching pots in the creek bed, learning flowers while sitting in the garden with my mother. I am interested in integrating function with natural vessel shapes by abstracting natural structures into unique objects. Layers, containment, and time are fascinating to me. I see a connection between the process of coil building and tree rings. They both begin as small and systematic; then as time passes, they expand and warp in a way that gives shape to the entire form.
Open Access
Erin Doherty: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Doherty, Erin, artist
The artist's statement: I grew up on a small island town in Alaska surrounded by the ocean. My experiences and memories of it inspire me everyday. The ocean is an unpredictable force, and its constant transitions between turbulent and flat-calm waters dictate daily life of the people and landscape around it. Just as the ocean has had a lasting impact on me, family is also an essential component to my life and a source of inspiration. I connect these two separate, but fundamental elements by blending Celtic knots - representing family, with imagery found in the ocean. By blending these seemingly disparate themes together, I bridge a gap between origin and tradition. My coil built sculptures take advantage of the versatility of clay to achieve large volumes, while my carved slabs depict motifs that incorporate layered surface designs. The time consuming and repetitive action in the studio brings me a sense of peace and self-awareness, while challenging me to stay attentive and precise. My ceramic work blends art and nature to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity for the ocean in people's minds. The combination of literal and abstract illustrations trigger moments of nostalgia that reference past experiences and memories. My intimate, handmade artwork is designed to bring beauty and serenity to everyday life.
Open Access
Hyang-Jin Cho: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Cho, Hyang-Jin, artist
The artist's statement: Interested in creating objects with multiple layers, I have explored the concept of crossing boundaries of two opposing sides and developed a unified space created by the manifold relations among objects. My installation consists of three parts; a figure, a wall piece and vessels. Between the figure and the wall, three pots are placed and arrayed with hanging scrolls with lattice cutouts. The figure with representational facial features and an unbalanced posture contrasts with the abstract form of the wall piece. The wall piece is inspired by the Chinese ancient jade disks which were ceremonial objects of Neolithic culture that symbolized divine power. By composing the jade disks within a rectangular form, I can utilize geometric designs to represent a balanced heavenly realm detached from daily life. Within this installation, the pots increase the space between a figure and the wall. However, they mediate two independent entities metaphorically by adopting the iconography of China's Neolithic pottery. These pots were modeled after vessels that functioned as a guide for the deceased to heaven. The hanging screens also link two sides as well as add architectural depth. By mediating the silent dialogue between human and an ideal world of harmony, reason and order, the pots and screens emphasize their symbolic meaning on crossing boundaries and unifying space.
Open Access
Lena Larrieu: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Larrieu, Lena, artist
The artist's statement: I am drawn to clay as a material. It has the ability to create portals and bridges into different dimensions. This quality of clay enables me to bring images and figures from the picture plane into our physical world. My work is comprised of layers of decoration that play with different scales and textures that push the forms to be intricate but not overbearing. The creation of a large wall piece or a sculpture that is almost life size creates a larger presence in the field of vision and has intricate detail that can draw the viewer closer. My ideas are inspired by buildings and windows from countries in Latin America and the Middle East. I am interested in integrating these architectural components with sources from the natural world such as corals, trees, animals, and rocks. For example, some of my work is based on architectural forms that are overcome with textures from nature and where the original source is less apparent. In other work these ideas have a more direct dialogue with one another, where the pieces are referencing how we place architecture in relation to the natural world. I use my work to explore the discovery of hidden secrets lost and aged architecture has to offer.
Open Access
Luke Doyle: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Doyle, Luke, artist
The artist's statement: I choose to make utilitarian objects because I want the experience to be more than simply looking. I have made bowls, cups, and plates for the user to incorporate into their life, I hope the plates and bowls are used at every meal. I do not think you can experience these pieces fully if you have not used your hands to touch them, to feel the surface and weight and to explore then textural variation. I have used simple, utilitarian glaze design to offer a highly functional and interesting object. I used a glossy white glaze to line the interior of all the pots. The white glaze offers a rich white surface that is visually clean as well as practically easy to wash after use. I have used the unglazed clay as part of the surface because it gives the user's hand various textures to explore from glossy to matte to raw clay. Allowing the clay to show through also creates a depth of surface. The glaze is meant to be simple while allowing variation of color and texture letting the users examine the subtle color changes in the clay. My interest in pottery grew with my interest in making pottery. I began using the pottery I made which led me to appreciate the experience of using pots. I have begun to have the same sense of appreciation for other things that I use such as clothes, shoes, bicycles, chairs, cars or anything else that I use for one function or another. I believe we live in a world that generally does not value our material culture, most things are cheap and disposable and I would like to create something that will add a small but valuable contribution to our shared material culture. I hope that this work will inspire a subtle shift in the way people think as consumers.
Open Access
Justin Donofrio: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Donofrio, Justin, artist
The artist's statement: Through the lens of functional pottery I focus on questions about our relationship with objects. I explore the concept of humanity's authority over landscape and record of construction as a form of time materialized. The geographical layered strata of each vessel represent fragments or glimpses into the density of every assemblage. With the intersections and overlaps, I contemplate the dynamic relationship between materiality and landscape and our attempt to control it. Each vessel is made using clay that is artificially colored to reference natural tones. The juxtaposition of the natural and artificial speaks to a notion of manicured space in an attempt to cultivate order. Focusing on the fluidity of process and materials as remnants of making, I work with a limited number of tools and movements to allow the clay to actively inform the line quality and elegant volume. Relying heavily on the physicality of the technique I generously push and pull these lines to develop an undulation that resembles natural rhythms. The harmony of repetition comes through meditation of movement. The presence of process in the work is essential as my forms are searching for confidence in their construction. The conversation between the stained clay and glaze, obscuring or revealing, explores a didactic look at color as body and color as skin.
Open Access
Lauren Domnik: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Domnik, Lauren, artist
The artist's statement: My pottery centers on the natural world. The scientific aspects of plants and animals, like ecology, biology, and taxonomy, fascinate and inspire me. At the same time, I am influenced by tableware of many kinds, from historic Chinese cobalt-on-white vessels to a 30-dollar teapot you can pick up at a tea shop. My simple tableware forms combine the aesthetic of a china cabinet with that of flea market handmade pottery. White glazes and plant motifs reference delicate porcelain, but thicker walls and rugged qualities of stoneware give the pieces a more durable feel. The process of using handmade pots is important to me, and I consider the usage of each pot carefully. In brewing tea, for example, there is steeping, pouring, and drinking. I form each pot so that these steps may be executed with ease, without trouble from, say, an insecure lid or uncomfortable cup lip. Similarly, making pots consists of distinct steps - throwing, trimming, decorating, firing. As I perform these steps, I consider how my choices affect the steps in using the finished pot. A wide, sharp lip on a honey pot catches drips, and a white glaze on tea ware reveals the color of the tea and makes it easy to tell when it's done brewing. I combine teapots and cups with plant imagery to create tableware that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Sometimes, the plants are specific species, which can spark an interesting and educational conversation about plant identification. These pots mix aspects of botanical illustration with floral decorative tableware - a union of science and art. I simply seek to make pottery that anyone would want in their kitchen; I want my pots to be aesthetically pleasing but ultimately useful, so they will have a purpose in someone's home.
Open Access
David Kruk: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Kruk, David, artist
The artist's statement: I am interested in the cyclical nature of time and its relationship to our human experience of internal and external space. I have been thinking about the material things we periodically return to and how a similar pattern can be found between our connection to the non-physical as well-thoughts, emotions, and processes. In material form, these elements can be condensed into a space where one can return and feel immersed both physically and mentally in a state of concentration, contemplation, and veneration. The concept of a shrine allows me to join these dichotomies of inside and outside and creates a moment for reflection upon different dimensions of nature. My inspiration partially comes from the architectural structures and material practices of human civilizations through time coupled with their cultural ideologies of nature and sacredness. Historically, a sacred object may be one that is used in a spiritual ceremony, such as the worship or service of a divine entity. In this way, the object's value is deeply connected to the beliefs and practices of its environment. The idea of a shrine provides a space where emphasis is placed on certain values and where objects can inherit meaning and a kind of spirituality. Nature in its material and immaterial form will always provide me with questions and ephemeral understandings--the nature of our subjective and collective human experience as well as the nature of our physical environment. Both are dynamic; reacting and evolving with time. Clay embodies these qualities of flux with its continuing states of material transformation, yet it is also able to sustain itself as an object of vitrified memory. From a formless lump to an elaborate vessel, what was once impermanent can hold the idea of permanence. As such, it is still susceptible to the consequences of decay, but provides space for new growth.
Open Access
Anna Feldman: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Feldman, Anna, artist
The artist's statement: Clay reflects the plasticity of my thoughts. It is a malleable material that can be rapidly and easily manipulated. After firing, it is transformed into a permanent entity of stone that encapsulates the ideas infused into it. My connections to the material are very specific and reflect my personal day-to-day emotions and influences. Contemporary ceramic artists like Kathy Butterly, Matt Wedel, and Anders Ruhwald have inspired and impacted my reactions and interactions with clay. Their use of vivid colors, alluring textures, and playful methodology greatly intrigue me and impact qualities of my work. I am also attracted to the concept of playing, humor and tying in pieces of nostalgic memories from my childhood. I long for a time in my life when whimsicality was dominant and my thoughts were filled with mermaids, Seussian creatures, and an urge to create my own environment. By tying in textures and colors that remind me of these muses, I can bring back memories of the naïve, nonsensical, and unrealistic aspects of my being. I never strive for perfection or uniformity, but to document lingering ideas that need to be addressed. Each tile begins to represent windows peaking into various neglected ideas, paralleling the fast paced changes that are constantly made in my life. Each piece is interlaced with reactions that course through my fingertips the day that I translate this mud into a form. It is a constant battle of acting and reacting. Never fully ending until it leaves my possession and begins a narrative of its own.
Open Access
Daniel Johs: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Johs, Daniel, artist
The artist's statement: I love visual art in part because I get to study myself, but also because I get to learn of others culture and history that are different from my own. I am very inspired by Japanese culture with deep human interactions and their self-honesty. I also like American cultures that are not my own like jazz's freedom, metal music's perfection and innovation, and hip hops individuality and community. I love to see differences in aesthetics of cultures worldwide, but also explore my own aesthetics of what is beautiful, funny, aggravating, or sad. This work has a pot taken from the background of a Jackie Chan movie blended with moonshine history. It has abstractions of emotions plus metaphors for my human relations and personal struggles. The field of animation seems to embody my favorite artistic ideas, and that is what I intend to do in the future.