Evolution

1994-2001

I believe that most “art timelines” are at best, partially manufactured or, at least, prettied up for mass consumption. in the studio, long-term shifts in form and content are never tidy. it’s not until you present your body of work that hidden threads in development become apparent. it’s more like a series of accidents that, when arranged just so, seem obvious. surely looking back over a certain number of years is eye-opening. and gratifying. the ridiculous obsession with Raku would lead somewhere. the ‘lite’, quirky little figures needed to happen. the trick is convincing yourself (and your graduate committee) that you know what you’re doing. the biggest shifts happened during school of course, but I still see my work evolving–just at a slower pace. i’m in no hurry.

in a nutshell: in 1990 I went to school for art (BFA), thinking they’d teach me how to draw Iron Maiden album covers… (blah blah blah read more….)

after a period of confused bewilderment, I discovered a surprising love for “The Arts”, especially the Surrealists. armed with this epiphany, I quickly fell in love with….pottery?! yep, because that’s how your twenties work. anyway, the ceramics studio was by far the most lively, energetic, interesting, engaging community in the school. there was good music. there were hidden ‘forties’, flaming peepholes, smoke. and wheels. I fell hard for the wheels. I made a lot of pretty/bad pots, but learned about myself: I love skill and I love ‘Craftsmanship’. high craft if you will. I still use the wheel to start nearly every piece. (you can read about the process here….)

during my 3rd year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, I discovered a surprising love of clay (I hate dirty hands!). really, it was the ‘Pot Shop’; I loved that studio and those professors (Charlie Olson, Karl Borgeson). and while I was making pretty questionable work (Raku-obsession, anyone?), they recognized that eventually, via osmosis, better work would happen. in 1996 I went off to graduate school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Gail Kendall, Pete Pinnell, and later Eddie Dominguez were instrumental in helping direct my obsessions. I had the very best group mentors.

from Decorative Pots…

1994-96 (undergrad)

Raku Jar

Teapot

Pitcher Noska’s

like a lot of clay students, I was hooked by the wheel. content (function) didn’t matter. form barely mattered. I wanted to control the spinning clay. and I wanted a pot to glaze.

to Whimsical Vessels,

1996-98 (grad school)

Affirmative

Funkyfancy

Giving Jar

Drift

Censer

Doctor In The House

my grad committee nixed Raku–JERKS!–and encouraged me to hand-texture my surfaces. that, and permission to ignore function, excited me. also, I found a friend in porcelain.

and Figurative Forms

1997-99 (grad school)

Daisy in the Dirt

Waiting for Blossom

Shrimpdance

Blossom

El Jefe

Untitled (Head)

eventually ‘figure-ish’ became ‘Figurative’. while still whimsical, these guys made my surfaces seem more integral, less decorative.

all while Exploring Content.

1997-2000 (grad school)

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph 600

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph”

Functional Art Series Iron BLACK600

“Functional Art Series: Iron”

Functional Art Series Toaster BLACK600

“Functional Art Series: Toaster”

Music Boxes BLACK600

Music Boxes

2502 pieces 600

“2,502 Prints”

The Fabulous Sex Machine 600

“The Fabulous Sex Machine”

from toasters and irons to pottery shrines and sex machines. I was trying hard to force ‘meaning’ into my work. you know, make Artwork with “Titles”.

it all led to a “Turning Point”….

1999-2000 (grad school and beyond)

turn that earlier work on it’s side, begin eliminating the “pottery” references, and you see how I got here. it looks obvious now, but “Untitled (Fetish Object 1)” sat on my shelf, dusty, for over a year before it meant anything to me. I didn’t get it.

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