Photos and reporting by Robert Kokenyesi, Ceramic Artist, Beachfront Pottery, Godfrey, IL, 62035, USA. If you enjoyed this post, then give me a “like” on my Facebook page. There is additional information about Beachfront Pottery on my web site.
The Venue
The “Ceramic Centric” exhibit took place from April 12 through May 24, 2019, in the galleries of the Foundry Art Centre, St Charles, Missouri.
The picture on the left is the title wall for the exhibit; the picture on the right is the gallery pictured from the title wall.
The Call for Entry
It must be a human instinct to create with mud. Ancient civilizations around the globe seemed to reach the same conclusion about this resource at various times in history. If you take earth, wet it, shape it, and fire it, something useful, beautiful, and elemental is formed. From this invention, mud bricks, drinking vessels, and sculptures were created. With Ceramic Centric, we seek to celebrate how current artists translate this ancient medium. The artwork in this exhibition will be comprised primarily of clay. As creating with this medium is not limited to the three dimensional, wall hanging ceramic works are encouraged.
The Ceramic Art Pieces
This post, Part 2 of four, reports on wall pieces in the exhibit. Part 1 was about vessels; Part 3 will be about figurative sculptures, and Part 4 will be about abstract sculptures.
Marina’s statement reads: ”
John works in various media type. His statement reads: “My work is primarily ceramic sculpture with an emphasis on the human form. For more of his work look up his web site.
There was no statement from Joseph. I couldn’t find any statement from him online. Here is his Facebook page to view his other works.
Gary’s statement reads: “”For me ceramic art is magical … taking earth materials, combining them in unique ways, and creating something artistic.
Ceramics speaks directly to what it means to be human. I often think about early people sitting around a fire, discovering how heat made clay turn hard, and then shaping this clay into useful containers. Most importantly, they made their pots interesting to look at by adding color and texture and imagery.
My goal is similar … To carefully craft pieces, so that when people see them they say, “Wow. I’ve never seen anything like this.” In this way, my art offers people in this “fast food” culture a reason to stop and notice how something looks and feels … Something that conveys a sense of the spirit of humanity.” You can see more of his works at his Pinterest page.
Steve didn’t have a statement for the exhibit. On his web site Steve states: “From my childhood sculptures rendered in play dough, to the raw and hopefully charming sculptures of figures and animals I make today I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t making something. My childhood memories have also shaped the way I render each of my sculptures, basing the grinning dogs and crooked people on how I remember seeing them in my youth. My work is also meant for preservation. Looking back on small, ridiculous moments I hope to preserve these pieces of time in each work. I want my work to be honest, humorous, and visually appealing by experimenting with color and surface.”
Brent’s statement reads: “I hope the forms feel familiar yet disorienting, as to their function, not so dissimilar to life, where intent and results don’t always align.” For more of his works visit his web site.