 Artist Statement
In the late 1990’s I began a full tiIIn n the me pursuit of clay producing a wiIn f fddfffthe sflskdde range of wheel thrown and hand built sculptural forms that were Raku fired. I strived for forms with a
In the late 1990’s I began a full time pursuit of clay producing a wide range of wheel thrown and hand built sculptural forms that were Raku fired. I strived for forms with a simple, elegant uncluttered surface so as not to compete with the wildly organic results the smoke and flame of Raku delivered. First, glazed surfaces rich in copper luster’s and later, an exploration of slip-resist techniques whereby smoke penetrates masking layers of slip/glaze to deposit organic carbon patterns into the clay surface.
As time passed an inner need to create my own decoration began to advance in my work. Trips to museums for study of ceramic antiquities pointed to illustrative uses of clay. Bas-Relief (low relief of the projecting clay whereby the background is very flat or compressed) was used extensively in Asia and the Middle East for much of recorded history. My content would not be to record military exploits or religious deities, but rather to explore landscape in 3 dimensions. Ceramic tiles have survived the millennium where their paper or wood counterparts have long since vanished. Will my clay landscapes survive for future generations?
Fractionalizing or slicing an image into its component elements originated from my love of Asian art and that perspective of a Chinese screen. Each tile is an object hanging off the wall. In series each panel (tile) has its own value here, yet is part of a larger more complete clay landscape. The tile for me became a plain canvas from which emerged a three dimensional landscape from the wet formless clay. Depth of the surface plays with light as the surface shadows shift throughout the day. My color process relies wholly on ceramic mediums(no paint) and fired to 2000 degrees f.. This process leaves a naturally matt earthy surface. Nature and by that I mean the woods, streams, lakes and mountains has always had a hold on me. The landscapes I sculpt in clay are inspired from locations in my native New England.
Rick lives and works in Longmeadow,Ma. with his wife Susan, kids Hannah and Sam and dog Blue.
As time passed an inner need to create my own decoration began to advance in my work. Trips to museums for study of ceramic antiquities pointed to illustrative uses of clay. Bas-Relief (low relief of the projecting clay whereby the background is very flat or compressed) was used extensively in Asia and the Middle East for much of recorded history. My content would not be to record military exploits or religious deities, but rather to explore landscape in 3 dimensions. Ceramic tiles have survived the millennium where their paper or wood counterparts have long since vanished. Will my clay landscapes survive for future generations?
Fractionalizing or slicing an image into its component elements originated from my love of Asian art and that perspective of a Chinese screen. Each tile is an object hanging off the wall. In series each panel (tile) has its own value here, yet is part of a larger more complete clay landscape. The tile for me became a plain canvas from which emerged a three dimensional landscape from the wet formless clay. Depth of the surface plays with light as the surface shadows shift throughout the day. My color process relies wholly on ceramic mediums(no paint) and fired to 2000 degrees f.. firing. This process leaves a naturally matt earthy surface. Nature and by that I mean the woods, streams, lakes and mountains has always had a hold on me. The landscapes I sculpt in clay are inspired from locations in my native New England.
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