PASSION FOR FORM: CONJURING OF CERAMIC EXPRESSION
Clatsop Community College
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2007
Contact: Teri Sund 338-2478
Update Nov. 20, 2007: Show date extended, will run through December 14.
PASSION FOR FORM: CONJURING OF CERAMIC EXPRESSION
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Dave and Boni Deal will conduct a workshop Monday, November 19th
at 1:00 pm.
They will share their raku work and techniques, discussing firing,
throwing of large forms and surface design.
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The Art Center Gallery at Clatsop Community College will host an invitational
exhibition of eight regional ceramic artists November 6th – December 7th.
Featured artists include Ruri, Dave and Boni Deal, Brad Mildrexler, Dennis Meiners,
Craig Martell, P.K. Hoffman and Glenn Burris.
There will be an artist’s
reception Tuesday, November 6th at 6:00 pm in the Art Center Gallery. A slide
show and discussion will also take place in the gallery Tuesday, November 6th
at 2 pm. Workshops will be offered by guest artists, the first taking place Wednesday,
November 7th at 1:00 pm where P.K. Hoffman will demonstrate throwing of large
pieces. Dave and Boni Deal will also conduct a workshop Monday, November 19th
at 1:00 pm. They will share their raku work and techniques, discussing firing,
throwing of large forms and surface design. These events are free and open to
the public.
This select group of three-dimensional artists brings a collection of work that
will focus on the beauty and fluidity of clay in art. These eight artists have
each spent their careers exploring the possibility of form through clay, and
the unique results from their chosen firing and glazing techniques.
Dave and Boni Deal who live and work in the foothills of Washington’s Cascade
Mountain range are known nationally for their raku-fired work. The husband and
wife team who have collaborated in clay for over 30 years create large classical
forms with intricate surface design that reflects their interest in the natural
world. This is emphasized by the process of raku firing where organic materials
are introduced into the reduction, or cooling stage to obtain flash of color
and pattern. Dave, who handles the firing process frequently wears a full fire
retardant suit for protection as he pulls the red-hot (1850¾F) vessels from the
kiln for cooling.
Ceramic artist Ruri creates her sculptural pieces in a wood-fire ana-nobori kiln;
a modified anagama kiln that has an extra chamber added. Her kiln which she calls
FuuKooGama and translates to Wind and Light Kiln is of her own design and took
over five years to build at her Sheridan, Oregon studio. The firing process is
as unique and important to her work as is her sense of form. She believes, as
do many potters practicing the ancient art of anagama firing that part of the
end result is a “bit of primordial magic, creating a fusion between both
the spirit of the artist as well as the alchemy of nature.”
Brad Mildrexler also utilizes anagama firing techniques. After attending Portland
State University, he continued his studies in Japan where he became immersed
in the process of anagama. Brad assisted in the building of local artist and
educator Richard Rowland’s well known anagama Dragon Kiln. He built his
own anagama kiln at his home in Portland in 1990 where he has been firing since.
His work is known for its exploratory nature, always considering texture and
form.
Also working with the wood-fire process is P.K. Hoffman. P.K., who has studied
and taught ceramics around the world, was raised in Astoria and now lives in
The Dalles, Oregon. Known for his massive forms, P.K. employs both raku and salt
wood-fire to achieve unusual surface and color effects. His studies have taken
him to the island of Crete where he learned to throw large urns from Greek masters.
He has taught at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland and been a guest lecturer
at the Edinburgh College of Art, also in Scotland. His current work reflects
his interest in river culture; form and texture emulate swirling current and
the life force of its inhabitants.
Craig Martell of Salem, Oregon has been a studio potter for 30 years. His work
reflects a great understanding of color and texture; achieved from years of experimentation
with firing and glazing. His functional work; ceremonial in form, is elegant
and sensuous. Flashes of pinks and blues are balanced with mellow, soft browns
that are emphasized with subtle surface texture. He has exhibited and sold his
work across the country and has been included in private and museum collections
throughout the United States and Japan.
Also included in this exhibition will be the work of Glenn Burris who began his
career in 1968. He has worked out of the same studio located in rural Linn County,
Oregon for the last 35 years, firing in the same kiln that he built. He, like
Dave and Boni Deal throws his pottery on a kick wheel. He also employs hand-built
techniques when working with porcelain. His focus is on the form, but also devotes
much time to developing his own formulas for glazes; the resulting surface plays
an intrinsic part in each finished piece. When discussing the role of the contemporary
potter, Glenn states, “The role of the potter today is to fill the need
for the “hand-made” and to nurture the individual. My goal has been
to infuse my work with my spirit. All of the work seen here is deeply personal
and made by my hands in relative isolation. A pot is a private moment that takes
place between a potter and a piece of clay. This process should be fun. This
joy is what the user should take home and treasure.”
Dennis Meiners of Jacksonville, Oregon has also spent over 3 decades working
as a ceramic artist. His work pays homage to the functional, but goes beyond
what is simply utilitarian. His forms, highly sculptural and metaphorical seem
to convey a lesson. Tumbling horses and sculpted stumps are allegorical to the
environment that our culture dwells within. Dennis explains “whether the
act of making results in a coffee cup, a sculpture, a drawing or a poem, the
immersion in the process is journey through an imaginative landscape where possibility
reigns supreme and taking advantage of what is there is a chimerical game. I
have compared this experience to riding a horse at night. The objective is to
trust the horse, not fall off, and be awake to see where I have arrived when
the light returns.”
For more information please contact Richard Rowland at (503) 338-2449 or Teri
Sund at (503) 338-2478.
Rolling Horse Teapot, Ceramic
sculpture by Dennis Meiners
Celestial by Ruri
Leaf Print pot by Dave & Boni Deal