Good Dirt

SUMMER 2008

SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE

*All Classes

*Instructors

*Registration and Cancellation

*Parties and Workshops

*Try Clay

*Private Artist Studios

*The Gallery @ Good Dirt

*E-mail List Sign-up

Map

gooddirt@bellsouth.net

Artists’ Statements

JORIE BERMAN

Vivid memory, sense impressions, and intuitive impulse drive my work, leading to ideas that take form in clay. Building from childhood experiences, I try to recreate, not the experience, but the feeling which was experienced. I recall my sensory perceptions from trips to India, spending time with my grandmother, and being surrounded by folk art. I think of my body as a sponge that is constantly gathering data or memory. This stored information provides the source material for my work.

“Vivid memory, sense impressions, and intuitive impulse drive my work...”

BROOKE CASSADY

I make functional, wheel-thrown pots that I hope will find a use in everyday life. I love the creative process, the endless potential I feel in a handful of wet clay, but I am driven to produce forms that are simple and purposeful.

Cooking is an important aspect of my life: it is one of the few times during the day I set aside to nourish my body and my soul, and I take comfort in elevating this ritual with handcrafted pots. Not only does cooking with hand-made pots take on an additional element of spiritual nourishment, but the sensual joy I feel in the manipulation of clay mirrors my love of cooking. When I sit at the wheel I picture forms with a specific function in mind. I particularly love the way the rim of a cup feels resting on my lips, or the gentle curves of a carved bowl nested in my hands.

From the very beginning I have always had a deep love of the outdoors. Botanicals – trees, roots, leaves, and blossoms – are a constant source of inspiration. I am fascinated with the power and beauty in nature, the way that light streams through a canopy of leaves, or reflections shimmer across a body of water. Some of these images are used literally in my work, which can be seen in the carvings and brushwork. However, I also enjoy abstracting the ideas of growth and vitality found in nature, in combination with the fertile female form to create voluminous forms that suggest abundance.

CARTER GILLIES

I have come to view my exploration of ceramics as something like being a traveler in a foreign country. I speak the language, but I am not at home enough to take communication for granted. I actually enjoy this edge, this uncertainty. As such, I treat my endeavors as an adventure in discovery, not the repetition of tried and true formulas. Every lump of clay has its own destiny. I sometimes even joke to myself that you can only be truly free from habit if you forget even the best of what you have done. And while this means that because I don't settle for reproducing the same proven form I suffer countless disappointments, it also keeps my work fresh and new. In working with clay I rely on the unexpected and am continually rewarded with pleasant surprises. In this regard I feel that I will always be a student of clay and hope to maintain the humility to continue learning from the medium and my peers.

That being said, I do have interests and preferences. I always look at a pot's form first, its surface second, and its decoration/glazing third. I am not as interested in curves as I am in angles. I like bulbous forms the least and cylindrical based forms the best. I am learning to enjoy firing in oxidation as a friend, but I love the wood kiln as a soul mate. I promote a structured surface in the way that a leaf has organic structure rather than mechanical or intentional formalizations and exact relationships. If I am obsessed with anything it is my pursuit of beauty in service of functional pots that will enjoy a life of their own in someone's home.

JIM PECKHAM

I enjoy the process of wheel-thrown pots, working with clay and seeing where it takes me. I try to find a balance between simple forms enriched with surface detail. I find they can be illuminated by ash in the wood kiln, or otherwise embellished with layering glazes and wax resist in gas reduction. I enjoy the nature of clay, and occasionally let the nature of the material come through, while I also appreciate the clay as a canvas for decoration. My passion with clay began at UGA studying ceramics with Ron Meyers, Michael Simon, and Andy Nasisse, though I continue to find inspiration through books about Hamada and the traditions of Japanese and Chinese ceramics. I also studied painting at the University, which continues to enrich the painterly qualities of my work. Modern artists like Matisse, Mondrian, Rousseau, and Klee indirectly influence my approach to color and design with glazes, whereas Gottlieb and Pollock have always deepened my appreciation for the things that I do not have control over. My work is constantly evolving thanks to the solid community of potters and their honest feedback.

ROB SUTHERLAND

My education and background in science has profoundly influenced the development of my work. On the surface, it might seem a stretch to claim that a PhD in molecular ecology could prepare me for life in the studio, but in many ways, my approach to pottery is rooted in a spirit of experimentation and a desire to push the envelope technically. I use a wide range of clay bodies, forming methods, glazes, and firing techniques. This apparent chaos is unified by a commitment to functionality and the tireless pursuit of active surfaces.

In the past year, I have cut back on my participation in wood firings to focus on the kinds of results I can achieve with my downdraft gas reduction kiln. This has proven to be very fruitful territory. I have found a number of glaze combinations that yield surprising results—crystallization in the slow-cooling glaze, subtly beautiful chun blue effects, and crackled surfaces reminiscent of fractured ice. I have also devoted significant energy to the development of exciting surfaces from carbon-trap shino glazes. The use of one or more glazes with soluble alkaline fluxes, carefully considered drying and placement of the glazed ware in the kiln, and well-timed early reduction during the firing have conspired to produce some of the most strikingly beautiful surfaces I have ever achieved.

I look forward to the continued fruits of these experiments as I produce work for a number of upcoming group and solo exhibitions in the coming year, but I do not plan to be complacent. I have several new glazes in the works, and I will be creating a number of new forms with surface textures inspired by willow basketry and natural objects. Be sure to check in often at the Gallery @ Good Dirt to see what exciting new fruits each kiln firing will bear.

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	SUMMER 2008 SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE All Classes Instructors Registration and Cancellation Parties and Workshops Try Clay Private Artist Studios The Gallery @ Good Dirt E-mail List Sign-up
Map gooddirt@bellsouth.net
Artists’ Statements
JORIE BERMAN
Vivid memory, sense impressions, and intuitive impulse drive my work, leading to ideas that take form in clay. Building from childhood experiences, I try to recreate, not the experience, but the feeling which was experienced. I recall my sensory perceptions from trips to India, spending time with my grandmother, and being surrounded by folk art. I think of my body as a sponge that is constantly gathering data or memory. This stored information provides the source material for my work. “Vivid memory, sense impressions, and intuitive impulse drive my work...”
BROOKE CASSADY
I make functional, wheel-thrown pots that I hope will find a use in everyday life. I love the creative process, the endless potential I feel in a handful of wet clay, but I am driven to produce forms that are simple and purposeful. Cooking is an important aspect of my life: it is one of the few times during the day I set aside to nourish my body and my soul, and I take comfort in elevating this ritual with handcrafted pots. Not only does cooking with hand-made pots take on an additional element of spiritual nourishment, but the sensual joy I feel in the manipulation of clay mirrors my love of cooking. When I sit at the wheel I picture forms with a specific function in mind. I particularly love the way the rim of a cup feels resting on my lips, or the gentle curves of a carved bowl nested in my hands. From the very beginning I have always had a deep love of the outdoors. Botanicals – trees, roots, leaves, and blossoms – are a constant source of inspiration. I am fascinated with the power and beauty in nature, the way that light streams through a canopy of leaves, or reflections shimmer across a body of water. Some of these images are used literally in my work, which can be seen in the carvings and brushwork. However, I also enjoy abstracting the ideas of growth and vitality found in nature, in combination with the fertile female form to create voluminous forms that suggest abundance.
CARTER GILLIES
I have come to view my exploration of ceramics as something like being a traveler in a foreign country. I speak the language, but I am not at home enough to take communication for granted. I actually enjoy this edge, this uncertainty. As such, I treat my endeavors as an adventure in discovery, not the repetition of tried and true formulas. Every lump of clay has its own destiny. I sometimes even joke to myself that you can only be truly free from habit if you forget even the best of what you have done. And while this means that because I don't settle for reproducing the same proven form I suffer countless disappointments, it also keeps my work fresh and new. In working with clay I rely on the unexpected and am continually rewarded with pleasant surprises. In this regard I feel that I will always be a student of clay and hope to maintain the humility to continue learning from the medium and my peers. That being said, I do have interests and preferences. I always look at a pot's form first, its surface second, and its decoration/glazing third. I am not as interested in curves as I am in angles. I like bulbous forms the least and cylindrical based forms the best. I am learning to enjoy firing in oxidation as a friend, but I love the wood kiln as a soul mate. I promote a structured surface in the way that a leaf has organic structure rather than mechanical or intentional formalizations and exact relationships. If I am obsessed with anything it is my pursuit of beauty in service of functional pots that will enjoy a life of their own in someone's home.
JIM PECKHAM
I enjoy the process of wheel-thrown pots, working with clay and seeing where it takes me. I try to find a balance between simple forms enriched with surface detail. I find they can be illuminated by ash in the wood kiln, or otherwise embellished with layering glazes and wax resist in gas reduction. I enjoy the nature of clay, and occasionally let the nature of the material come through, while I also appreciate the clay as a canvas for decoration. My passion with clay began at UGA studying ceramics with Ron Meyers, Michael Simon, and Andy Nasisse, though I continue to find inspiration through books about Hamada and the traditions of Japanese and Chinese ceramics. I also studied painting at the University, which continues to enrich the painterly qualities of my work. Modern artists like Matisse, Mondrian, Rousseau, and Klee indirectly influence my approach to color and design with glazes, whereas Gottlieb and Pollock have always deepened my appreciation for the things that I do not have control over. My work is constantly evolving thanks to the solid community of potters and their honest feedback.
ROB SUTHERLAND
My education and background in science has profoundly influenced the development of my work. On the surface, it might seem a stretch to claim that a PhD in molecular ecology could prepare me for life in the studio, but in many ways, my approach to pottery is rooted in a spirit of experimentation and a desire to push the envelope technically. I use a wide range of clay bodies, forming methods, glazes, and firing techniques. This apparent chaos is unified by a commitment to functionality and the tireless pursuit of active surfaces. In the past year, I have cut back on my participation in wood firings to focus on the kinds of results I can achieve with my downdraft gas reduction kiln. This has proven to be very fruitful territory. I have found a number of glaze combinations that yield surprising results—crystallization in the slow-cooling glaze, subtly beautiful chun blue effects, and crackled surfaces reminiscent of fractured ice. I have also devoted significant energy to the development of exciting surfaces from carbon-trap shino glazes. The use of one or more glazes with soluble alkaline fluxes, carefully considered drying and placement of the glazed ware in the kiln, and well-timed early reduction during the firing have conspired to produce some of the most strikingly beautiful surfaces I have ever achieved. I look forward to the continued fruits of these experiments as I produce work for a number of upcoming group and solo exhibitions in the coming year, but I do not plan to be complacent. I have several new glazes in the works, and I will be creating a number of new forms with surface textures inspired by willow basketry and natural objects. Be sure to check in often at the Gallery @ Good Dirt to see what exciting new fruits each kiln firing will bear.


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