What originates as soft and malleable, the very life cycle of clay is to eventually dry itself and be fired into a hardened form.  From hand-carving, forming and tool sculpting, under-painting, sandblasting, glaze and firing techniques to mixed media embellishments - What does a resulting surface tell us about an artist's intent?

The vibrant and accomplished artists in this exhibition represent a diversity of backgrounds, technical proficiency and creative outpouring of ideas that radiates through their work.  How each transforms the earthen and organic material of clay bodies speaks as much to their attention to aesthetics as it does to their desire to communicate a message of cultural identity, social consciousness, philosophical values and personal history.  

Although each artist’s work is entirely unique in approach - ranging from abstracted forms to wheel-thrown functional vessels, neutral tones to brightly colored glaze, refined planes to varied textures - there is unity in their passion for tactile manipulation.  It is this collective expression of creativity through the surface that underscores how ceramics continues to evolve as a medium.

 The myriad approaches shared in this exhibition are a celebration of concept and form using the surface as a vehicle for experimentation.  Each is a landscape, or a hardscape of divergent possibilities.  We encourage you to seek out the nuances and, at times, boldness in contrasting surface treatments, and consider the visual impact sought by each artist.  We hope you find yourself curious and excited for innovations in ceramic practice yet to come.

- Jasmine Peck and Cristie Scott