Introduction
I awake to
the spring morning sun cutting its way through the blinds, warming
my naked skin. It is a clear blue day. I get out of bed quickly
because the sun has apparently boosted my energy. The outdoors
is so inviting that I decide to venture out on a morning walk.
As I step outside, I feel a cool spring breeze swimming across
my body hair. Simultaneously the sun warms my skin like a warm
body rubbing against me. As I walk further into the morning I
see and feel embodied by rich, stimulating shades of green. The
breeze blowing through these green shades creates a subtle dance
from plant to plant. Other brilliant colors radiate from the
plant surfaces as well. These beautiful colors create a visual
depth of layers pulling my mind and body into a deeper sensory
state.
A cool breeze
surrounds me with fresh floral scents. As I breathe, my nostrils
detect fresh floral scents. Although a bit pungent for my allergic
nose, these scents help to further immerse me in the surrounding
environment. I soon come across two large trees whose branches
create a tunnel into woods. As I enter, I immediately hear the
songs of birds. It is almost as if I am in a music hall. A chorus
of birds surrounds me in stereo. Even the distant zoom of cars
carries me from near to far like a musician playing scales on
a keyboard.
As I walk farther
into the woods, I head down into a ravine. A magnet seems to
be pulling my legs down towards its bottom. I hear a tinkling
flow of water. I have come upon a fresh water spring. The water
sparkles, shimmering from silver to gold. It looks so inviting
that I decide to take a drink. As the water touches my lips,
they are submersed in an electric frigid liquid. All of the nerve
endings in my mouth come alive as the invigorating water reaches
my tongue, my inner cheeks, my throat -- even my uvula. It tastes
so clean and refreshing. I can feel the cold flow down my throat.
After drinking I catch some water with my cupped hands, splashing
it on my face and rubbing it in my hair.
At this point
my senses are so alive and vigilant that I feel as if I have
become a part of my surroundings. It is as if I no longer exist
as an individual. I am in a state of euphoria -- at one with
my surroundings.
Thesis
Objective
Recently, when
I try to talk about my work I occasionally run into trouble because
of the overwhelming ideas and feelings that pertain to it. Now
I have discovered that all of these ideas can fit together into
one artistic concept; portraying my senses, emotions and feelings
in the state of optimal experience through the use of form, texture,
color, and movement.
The introduction of this paper recounts an optimal experience.
I tried to describe my feelings and senses as well as I could
using written language. My recent art work explains my feelings
and senses. The difference is that the end result is conveyed
visually rather than verbally. I use clay instead of words. Every
word possesses a specific meaning, but they must be used together
in an understandable, structured manner in order to express ideas
or feelings. The process of speaking through art is a less structured,
more visceral form of communication.
Many individuals have had experiences similar to the one described
in the introduction. Aldous Huxely claims "sensations, emotions,
insights, and fancies --all these are private and except through
symbols and at second hand, incommunicable. We can pool information
about experiences but never the experiences themselves. We live
together, we act on, and react to, one another, but always we
are by ourselves. "1
As a human being, I experience life only through my eyes and
my other senses. As an artist I create ceramic objects through
my hands directly from my ego. Instead of words I utilize symbols,
form, color, and texture to convey personal sensations, emotions,
insights, and fancies. Each finished product exists as a synthesis
of my personal experience. I draw from my own life experiences
to create my unique interpretation of the nature of reality.
Process
In addition
to understanding how I employ form, color, and texture to communicate
my visions, the process of how I create these objects must also
be investigated. The word "ceramist" and the word "process"
go hand in hand. Working with clay is a very challenging technical
process that easily consumes me. A lot of time is required to
get to know the many facets of clay and its technical qualities.
Only after one gets to know the clay is one able to use the medium
in a successful manner. In this paper I want to minimize writing
about technical processes, because I have documented these sufficiently
in my web page. I am more interested in the artistic process
involved in working with clay.
My ultimate
goal in creating a work of art is to reach a state of aesthetic
rapture, -- or a state of "flow." Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
has studied and written many books about this state of consciousness.
He defines Flow as;
"a state in which concentration is so completely focused
that it amounts to absolute absorption in an activity. In the
state of "flow" your whole body and mind, and consciousness
become ordered and harmoniously directed. Self-consciousness
and worries recede. You have a single goal. In these exceptional
moments whatever one does becomes worth doing for it's own sake;
living becomes it's own justification. In the harmonious focusing
of physical energy, life finally comes into it's own." 2
When I work
in the state of "Flow," I create forms spontaneously,
allowing my subconscious mind to emerge -- I do very little conscious
planning during the course of creating a piece. I do not complete
drawings of the works prior to making them. I also try not to
visualize the piece unless I am already in the state of "Flow."
I create forms on the potters wheel and hand build forms from
slip-cast clay slabs. I manipulate the forms to my liking --
combining some parts, cutting away others. Each step is in reaction
to the previous step.
Form
In creating
my ceramic objects, I always keep in mind what forms I have worked
with in the past -- but I always attempt to grow as an artist
by creating a more developed piece aesthetically. I work at softening
the transitions from part to part. I also design objects that
relate to forms visible in nature but seek to portray them in
an imaginative or surrealistic way. In my thesis show, "Inner
Flowlings," my work demonstrates four identifiable forms.
The first is forms of aquatic life. I have always been fascinated
by the lives and forms of aquatic creatures. As I grew up in
Minnesota, "the land of ten thousand lakes," I spent
a lot of my childhood roaming the shores of creeks, rivers, and
lakes. I observed the endless variety of life forms from above.
I remember the surface of the water shimmering like a continuous
sheet of glass. I felt like I was staring into a window of an
underwater world. I imagined swimming with jet-like propulsion
through the water. Or I glided and floated slowly, observing
the alien world around me. These experiences made me yearn for
increased interaction with aquatic life. I decided to set up
two aquariums in my bedroom. Since childhood, I have maintained
fresh and salt water aquariums. I enjoy setting up their environments
and introducing new fish into these worlds. The life forms within
my aquariums fascinate me.
The second references of form in my ceramic objects are instruments
and the music these instruments generate. I spent most of my
school years as a member of the band. I played the piano, trumpet,
and the tuba. Playing in the band was always a very relaxing
and enjoyable experience for me. It is an activity I greatly
miss today. Many of my ceramic pieces possess elements that resemble
keys and valves of a musical instrument. In others, the movement
of the ceramic sculpture flows as if it were dancing to an orchestra
symphony, reacting to each note of music. The most identifiable
musical forms in my ceramic works are horns, specifically the
bells of a horn instrument.
The third reference of form in my work is the human figure. Ever
since I studied life drawing as an undergraduate student I feel
an obligation to depict the human form in my art. I find the
curves and angles of our anatomy to be so perfect and well-proportioned.
I believe that because I am human, I am attracted to the human
body. Thus the human form is clearly visible in my work, although
its presence is subtle. From the posture of a piece, to a couple
of elegant toes, some sort of reference to the human form is
usually evident.
Finally, the fourth reference of form comes from the microscopic
world. I have always had a strong interest in biology. While
the microscopic world is less familiar, it possesses similarities
to the aquatic world. My wall piece titled "Inner Flowlings,"
best illustrates forms found in the microscopic world. Cell structures,
orifices, tails, and flanges of micron life are some of the forms
investigated. Life at this size is much more difficult to observe.
But when I do investigate the microscopic world I am amazed by
it. The universe is infinitely small and the microscopic world
clearly forms the foundation for the ecosystem as a whole.
Thus, I have named four influences of form that I utilize. How
do I make these forms work together? I utilize the relationships
between the forms -- combining the form of an entrance of a conch
shell to that of the bell of a horn instrument. Or perhaps the
transition between the two flows so well that two forms start
to become one. All of the forms that can be observed in one of
my sculptures are familiar to humans, but it is the particular
combination of the forms that gives each piece its uniqueness.
Texture/Color
The textures
I use are also familiar. Clay is a material that can copy or
look like any material that exists on this earth. I employ many
materials in order to transfer the texture of an object to the
surface of clay. I get absolutely absorbed by this characteristic
of clay. I frequently use textures that are often found in nature
-- that possess an organic quality. I think of the textures on
my ceramic pieces as being similar to the surfaces on living
objects that are visible while walking through the woods, or
snorkeling over a coral reef. The textures represent natural
growth patterns of plants, lichen, fungus, coral, or an animal's
membrane or skin.
My pieces depict a range of textures, from a growth-like, organic
texture to an erosion-like texture -- giving each object a sense
of history. Clay is also a wonderful medium in that it collects
the history of the creator and its own creation. The clay records
every mark, print, pull, stretch, and squish that the artist
performs on the clay. Textural characteristics of the pieces
are very important to me. The sense of touch is clearly exemplified
in all of my pieces.
I am concerned about color much less than texture or form. I
find the glazing process in ceramics to be very frustrating.
Color cannot be achieved with the same accuracy that painters
use. The ceramist has very little control. Thus, instead of feeling
constrained by color accuracy I have chosen to experiment with
firings, like sagger firings, where I have even less control
over color. I allow the firing process to take over, and determine
the fate of the color. This enables me to get a very natural
looking finish.
Why is this the case? The glazing and firing process is actually
very similar to the process of coloration and texture of surfaces
in nature. In the kiln combustible materials, minerals as well
as colorful oxides placed on and around the piece are fired in
an oxygen reduced atmosphere.
This process is similar to what happens in nature. The major
difference is that there is usually is no fire involved in nature
and instead time is the major factor. Over millions of years
of evolution the minerals and oxides combine to create variation
of color and texture. In a kiln that process is dramatically
sped up to a period of five to twenty hours. The finish is fairly
uncontrolled but is affected by many variables that also occur
in nature over a longer time scale. Thus, a kiln can replicate
nature quite closely in the creation of the surface finish.
Although color is less important to me than textural elements
I still attempt to achieve a finish that emphasizes the textures
and gives the object a lifelike appearance rather than a quality
of a molded sculpture made from fired clay.
Convergence
of
Form/Texture/color and Concept
How does it
all come together for me? To be honest, until February 1999,
I was very unclear about how all of these ideas converged. I
questioned if making my art was really worth while. Why am I
doing this? What is it, that is so important to me about making
my art? For the most part, my life as a first year graduate student
was sheltered and lacked inspiration. Most of my work was based
off of memories and experiences I had as a child. After I had
used up all those ideas and inspirations I was left empty for
a while, but I forced myself to continue creating projects.
Eventually I worked myself out of the rut. I began to look at
my work from a fresh perspective. This metamorphosis occurred
at approximately the same time as I started reading and learning
about the concept of "flow." I wanted to achieve that
state again when actively engaged in my work. I remembered having
that feeling while working on art as an undergraduate student.
I wanted to find it again. All of the disruptions and responsibilities
at the ceramics studio had been distracting and made it very
difficult to get any worthwhile art work done. I discovered that
the necessary ingredient was to simply set a goal. That proved
to be the missing link that got me back on track.
In the state of "flow" my body, mind, and consciousness
are harmoniously aligned. Feelings of chaos, indecision, and
anxiety disappear. Self-consciousness and worries recede. I have
a focus on a singular goal. Making art becomes worthwhile again
-- just for the sake of making art.
My outlook changed not only regarding the process of creating,
but in how I looked at life in general. Other activities in my
life become more important as well. I seek the same fulfillment
I find in the studio while doing everyday things -- even tasks
as ordinary as grocery shopping. I practice going into that grocery
store while in the zone. (I imagine that I am the most effective
and efficient shopper in the store.)
Clearly, the concept of "flow" has enormous significance
for me and my work. The experience of being "in the zone"
finds concrete expression in my work and in the forms I utilize.
I associate all of these forms with optimal experiences. Playing,
listening, or dancing to music is an activity that can put me
into the state of "flow." Observing aquatic life also
brings me to this state. I remember the first time I went snorkeling
in Cozumel, Mexico. I was mesmerized by the experience. I spent
hours swimming above the reefs in the lagoon, and yet to me it
seemed like ten minutes. One of the lifeguards had to swim out
to get me because I had traveled so far out and was approaching
a school of barracuda.
In my art, I employ the forms of the human figure and the microscopic
world in a different way than I use forms from musical instruments
or aquatic life. I think of these forms as a more literal language
of expression. The microscopic forms are the most literal to
me. I think of them as my imaginative attempt to demonstrate
what is happening microscopically inside the body when one is
in a state of optimal experience. On the other hand, when I reference
the human form I think of the poses one might be in when one
is in a state of euphoria -- such as I experienced in my exhilarating
walk.
When immersed in a state of "flow" while creating art,
I have discovered that my feelings are very similar to the feelings
and sensations I have while dancing, hiking, snorkeling, or playing
and listening to music. My ceramics work represents the integration
of my collective sensations, emotions, insights, and fancies
while engaged in optimal experience -- flowing out of me in my
own unique visual language.
Bibliography
Huxely, Aldous.
The Doors of Perception. New York: Harper and Row Publishers
1954.
Csikszentmihlyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of optimal experience.
New York:
HarperCollins 1991.
Acknowledgment
This paper
is in loving memory of my 13 year old fish Piranha Joe, who died
next to me as I was typing this paper into my computer. Piranha
Joe was one of my beginning influences for this body of work
"Inner Flowlings."
More importantly I would like dedicate this body of work to my
late father. As a child I remember looking at some paintings
he had done just for fun. I was intrigued and wondered if I could
ever do something like that. My fathers hard work ethic and a
few creative genes certainly have helped me in being an artist.
Thank you Dad.
I would also like to thank my mother who has always been behind
me in the decisions I make, even when I told her I wanted to
major in ceramics. I also want to thank my step father Roy, my
brothers, Adam and Steve, my friend Kent, my Professor Victor,
my contemporaries and professors I worked with at the University
of Delaware, and all the rest of my friends and family. Finally
I would like to thank my special friend Katie for a life of inspiration
and her help that she gave me to get through this experience.
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