Liz Quackenbush!

Mouse
terracotta, majolica, lusters and glass enamel (cone 04), 2005

At first glance, the artwork of Liz Quackenbush appears whimsical, playful and cosmic. An underlying theme of nature is inherent in her forms, which range from hand-built, frog sculptures, to colorful, floral plates and vases. As in the above Mouse, Quackenbush creates multidimensional forms, some functional and some not so functional, that are varied and dynamic and hold one's attention. According to Quackenbush, "the specific visual syntax that forms such a central part of my work is derived primarily from my own, very personal, experience of nature as an intimate part of daily life."

































Star Vase
terracotta, majolica, lusters and glass enamel (cone 04), 2007

Quackenbush's recent work is primarily made from terracotta, majolica, lusters and glass enamel (cone 04). Her choice of materials is very intentional and creates the conceptual narrative of her work. Quackenbush explains that she is inspired by work from "the medieval folk traditions of Europe and the Middle East, and the charm of 19th century Staffordshire porcelain." This is evident in the visually prominent gold luster on the Star Vase, layered on top of the majolica (which creates the whiteness of the form). The majolica is layered on the terracotta. Interestingly, her artworks are made to appear like porcelain, with light, refined qualities, but they are indeed terracotta.
While Quackenbush literally layers these materials, she is symbolically referencing the layering that exists in nature, specifically in ecosystems. She sends this theme home with the decorative content of flowers and animals.


Quackenbush plays with concepts of form and dimension, material, ornamentation, craftsmanship, tradition, and nature. It is the dynamic of her materials, technique, and forms that create beauty and intrigue in her pieces.



Dinner Plate
terracotta, majolica, lusters and glass enamel (cone 04), 2007


Quackenbush received her B.F.A. from CU in 1980. She went on to apprentice at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, PA., before going on to earn her M.F.A. at the School for American Craftsmen at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. She is currently a professor of art at Penn State, but she spends her summers in rural Vermont which "allowed me to produce more direct, less mediated interpretations of natural forms, and integrate this new knowledge back into the historically determined iconography of traditional ceramics that have informed my work for many years."

Liz Quackenbush, awesome ceramicist!
















http://artaxis.org/ceramics/quackenbush_liz/liz_quackenbush.htm

MATT LONG

Matt Long has been a ceramic artist for 22 years. He received his Bachelor degree of fine art from The Kansas City Art Institute in 1995, before acquiring his Masters from Ohio University in 1997. His pottery tends to be cone 10 soda-fired porcelain. Aside from being a well-known ceramic artist, Matt Long is also an assistant professor at the University of Mississippi and is currently running this university's Ceramics Department.

Although I had heard about Matt Long and his work before this past summer when I was fortunate enough to take a kiln building class from him, my interest in his art was sparked after meeting him and observing his passion for functional pottery. Long’s zeal for pottery can be observed in his artist statement when he says, “hand made pottery is a complete human expression, not an interpretation of usable objects that only address a standard.” This statement is expressed in the care and thought that Long includes in the creation of his pottery. Long typically decorates his ceramic art with slips and washes that are then covered by a variety of different soda-fired glazes. Personally, I enjoy the diversity of functional-ware that Matt Long creates, which can be seen in the gallery of his personal website http://www.fullvictory.com/gallery.html.

Along with the standard functional-ware created by most potters, Long tends to make vessels such as flasks, wine bottles, and sake sets. His theme and thought behind these vessels suggests more than just alcohol consumption, something that intrigued me when listening to a lecture of his this past summer. Long expressed that his work is not about the alcohol, but instead is about the company that surrounds someone when vessels such as a flask are in use. This idea of community is also applicable to the coffee and tea pots that Long often creates and is explained in this quote from a 2004 article in Cermaics Daily (accessible for download at the bottom of this webpage http://ceramicartsdaily.org/bookstore/vessles-for-victory-by-matt-long/) “To be in the front of the cupboard, to be on the counter top, to be set on a table where someone is having a conversation with someone they care about: that matters more to me than making money or driving a better car. Maybe my flasks get passed around at a family gathering to celebrate the new year, an anniversary, or the birth of a child—events that really define who we are.”

The importance of community and the company of others is obviously a central aspect of Matt Long’s life and I believe this is his inspiration for creating the pottery that he does. As he explains, “I have a wife, two children and a dog. I have a studio to work in and I have friends around me. A lot of those things exist because of my choice about pots, about making pots and being a part of a particular kind of community.” This theme of community is reinforced by Long’s style. His tendency to use glazes and heavy slips that create curvy lines on the surface of his vessels suggesting elegance, courtliness, and class, which are not aspects that typically come to mind \when thinking of alcohol consumption.

Mark Pharis

Vase

This work combines a thrown base with a top that is constructed using clay slabs and hand-built handles. The design on the façade consists of defined geometric patterns then bring attention to the geometric form of the work and its sharp angles through the use of color. These shapes characterize the decoration on the exterior of many of Pharis’ works.

Mark Pharis

Mark Pharis is a ceramic artist who currently resides in Roberts, Wisconsin. Pharis is the Chair of the Department of Art at the University of Minnesota, and has worked there since 1985 and held a variety of different positions. He was first introduced to ceramics in the fall of 1967 at the University of Minnesota. Pharis began at the University experimenting with many different art classes, and was encouraged by many family members and friends to study with Warren MacKenzie; a renowned potter and teacher who eloquently combines form and function through ceramics. Through MacKenzie’s mentorship Pharis fell in love with the clay studio, and has continued to produce ceramic works ever since. Pharis is interested in the variation of functional forms, and most of his works serve a utilitarian purpose. He is known for his delicate incorporation of clay slabs which he combines with thrown pieces.

Pharis’ work is highly influenced by the work of his early professor, Warren MacKenzie, whom began this conversation for Pharis between form and function; and ultimately Pharis’ interest in the variation of functional forms. His work is most notable for his use of clay slabs; that creates a combination of sharp angles and curvaceous form, formed by thrown volumes, that ultimately makes Pharis’ work very recognizable and distinct. He often refers to this technique as similar to the traditions of patternmaking, as seen in sewing and sheet metal work. Pharis’ works incorporate various geometric designs and decoration that force the viewer to look at the piece from multiple perspectives and also allows a set to be distinguished as a set through these pattern’s orientations. Pharis’ work has been exhibited in many different galleries including the Lacoste Gallery in Chicago, the Essex Museum in MA, the Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taiwan and multiple others.

Pharis’ work explores the concept of a functional object through this variation in form. This variety of form created through the combination of thrown volumes with clay slabs, creates an interesting collaboration of strong angles and curvilinear form that defines Pharis’ works. Pharis chooses to make utilitarian objects, he states, “I was in love with the whole functional world and I could operate confidently in that world- I like the fact that it is functionally structured- functional pots happen in a structural framework, both defining and liberating at the same time. It is interesting to explore the boundaries of that…I want my pots to have the potential to flip or alternate, to appear to be about use at one time, but to be visually independent and clear enough to be other than functional as well. ”