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Dubhe Carreño Gallery Contemporary Ceramic Art |
Marc Digeros
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Artist’s Statement
Today's technology and availability of inexpensive products has made the creation of handmade functional pottery an activity that goes against common sense. It’s always been easy for me to romanticize the lifestyle of making handmade objects, believing in the idea that people may one day use the very object that I have poured my time into. More realistic however, is that a great deal of the pieces that I make will become decorative objects even with careful consideration of details such as the touch of a well made handle and the successful pouring of an elegant spout. This realization gives me the artistic freedom to make objects that often fall outside of the functional realm.
My pieces are hand-built using thin slabs to construct walls that wrap around slump-molded bases. As I build, I try to leave clues as to how my pieces have been constructed, such as seams and other marks that result from my hands and tools touching the clay. By using cut-out patterns, similar to those used by a tin worker to construct objects, I create three-dimensional forms based on the vessel. Working with clay before it becomes leather hard results in forms that look soft and full of volume, a quality that contradicts the usual properties of slab made work. Geometry plays an important part in these patterns and also carries through to the surface designs on each piece. Some of my inspirations for these forms and their glazed surfaces stem from vintage textile designs and architectural adornments. My building process involves working in groups of similar objects such as bowls, vases or teapots. I enjoy exploring the variations that can stem from a simple basic form through a variety of spouts, handles and surface designs. I am interested in the way that subtle differences and attention to detail will make one piece more successful than another. I am personally fulfilled by the exercise of repetition, minute variations in form, and ultimately in the quest for a truly original creation. I do not limit myself to one type of clay or even to clay itself as the material I use to express myself. I believe that my creativity is achieved through many medias, be it clay, metal, wood, plastic or leather, and I enjoy comparing and contrasting the qualities of these materials as well as the challenge of maintaining the integrity of each material in the works that I create. Above all, I strive to create an end product that transcends the boundaries of ceramics, thereby furthering ceramics as an art form. This end product manifests itself sometimes as functioning pottery, sometimes sculpture, and other times somewhere in-between.
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