With work that seemingly draws from both ends of the technology spectrum associated with todays ceramic studio, Marc Digeros produces work that blends old world materials with  new age technology. In many ways his work shows no prescribed loyalty to tradition but rather follows a desire for exploration of material, process and the incorporation of modern digital elements. This modern aspect is not modern for the sake of being modern like one can easily find these days in stacked layers of computer guided slip trails. Marcs' work takes the precision of technology a couples it with the imperfect hand of the maker in a harmony that elevates all in unison. From my pespetive, Marcs' work is an is an ideal pairing of the digital and the analog. A complimentary performance that allows technology to sing without overshadowing the humanity of vessel making. One need only look at the chronology of Marcs' work to see the evolution that draws from the physical engineering of fabricated objects to the current processes that sample and build with technological aides that produce geometry and crispness uncommon to the human hand. Maker, material and tool in harmony is my impression of Marc Digeros and his ceramic works.

Bio taken from marcdigeros.com:
Marc Digeros, originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now resides in Los Angeles, California where he works for the architect, Frank Gehry, as model shop manager. He received his MFA from the University of Washington and his BFA from the University of Minnesota. He spent two years in Helena, MT as a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation and received the first ever Taunt Fellowship during his residency. He has taught at schools in the Los Angeles area including CSU (California State University) Northridge, CSU Long Beach, as well as the University of Southern California.  

With recent posts by Cfileonline.org and others of George E. Ohr, I felt it would be a good time to add some information on our site about the Mad Potter of Biloxi. included in the small library of images as well as a brief overview of the potter taken from the Ohr-O'Keefe museum web page. 

​Known for his experimental and pioneering work in painting and ceramics, Kaneko has redefined what is physically and aesthetically possible for the medium, challenging the parameters of both its scale and materiality. A labor intensive process, his ceramic sculptures can take up to eighteen months of drying time and can involve a 37-day firing process to perfect the surface quality of his signature glazes. His work is represented in over seventy museum collections worldwide, and he has completed over fifty major public art commissions, often on an unbelievably monumental scale. Examples of which include two three hundred and fifty-foot long tile walls at the MBTA's Aquarium Station in Boston, MA (1993-2000), and a three-story high ceramic wall in the biology library at The University of Connecticut (1997).
Most recently, Kaneko installed Ascent, a fifty-six-foot tall glass tower in the center of Tower Square in Lincoln, NE (2014), and an installation of his iconic closed-form Dangos and Tanukis in Millennium Park in Chicago, IL (2013). In 2014 a series of twelve Tanuki figures were permanently installed at the Omaha Zoo, NE (2014). In addition to his civic projects and large-scale public commissions, Kaneko has also designed memorable theatrical set designs for Opera, which have allowed him to create immersive spatial environments based on the motifs and patterns he explores throughout his work. Productions have included Puccini's Madame Butterfly (2006), Beethoven's Fidelio (2008), and Mozart's The Magic Flute (2012). Upcoming opera productions include Madam Butterfly at the San Francisco Opera in November of 2016, and Madam Butterfly at the Washington National Opera in May of 2017.

With a show opening this week in Culver City at Mark Moore Gallery, It is only fitting to bring the work of Zemer Peled to light. Take opportunity to visit the artists website and make the trip to Los Angeles to view the fantasticly fractured, sliced and assembled sculptures. Her solo show opens this Saturday, September 10th. 

Peled was born and raised in a Kibbutz in the northern part of Israel.  After completing a BA (Hons) at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem she graduated with an MA (Hons) from the Royal College of Art. In recent years her work has been featured nationally and internationally in museums and galleries including Sotheby’s and Saatchi Gallery-London, Eretz Israel Museum-Tel Aviv and the Orangerie du Senate, Paris among others.
Zemer Peled’s work examines the beauty and brutality of the natural world.  Her sculptural language is formed by her surrounding landscapes and nature, engaging with themes of nature and memories, identity and place. Her works are formed of thousand of ceramic shards constructed into large-scale/small-scale sculptures and installations.

UK Ceramic Artist and Designer Sam Brennan plays with the material qualities of clay in unlikely ways. Bringing new connotations to the term "coil pot", Brennan engages clay in ways that are seemingly a play on traditional forms of material engagement, but with new horizons in sight. Continual coils unbound are left to react like a coiled spring. Shifting and expanding in subtle ways, his work explores the tension of clay and the movement of a material that is widely regarded as stiff and unmovable. Brilliantly straight forward, his work offers a peek at new and ingenious ways to engage ceramics. 

In honor of our Sponsor for the recent Vince Palacios workshop.I thought it would be a fun post to show this vintage Duncan Dealer Promo Film, circa 1975. This company has been making glazes for the hobby and professional artist for over half a century. Located just 30 miles from our location in the Central San Joaquin Valley of California.

Thanks again for your support with our endeavors to bring ceramic artists to the Central Valley of California. We appreciate all that you're doing for us.

(de)composition: man

The (de)composition series, which this piece is a part of, expresses my desire to reflect on and find beauty in the return of the physical human body to the earth upon death.
Using an unfired life-size ceramic cast of the human body, (de)composition: man is a visual representation of the gradual breakdown of the human form. This time-based kinetic sculpture creates an opportunity where one can come back at different stages of the exhibition to see the transformation of the piece. During the opening of the exhibition, the realistic life size clay figure is laid down horizontally, and then is completely immersed in a pool of water, allowing it to slowly deteriorate. Once the fog completely envelops the figure, the water is drained to reveal the partially deteriorated clay figure. As the (four month) exhibition continues, the clay figure will be exposed to the elements so water will continually be introduced (through rain) which will then dry out. As the figure breaks down more and more the clay will crack the way dry earth does, leaving some traces, or suggestions of the human form it used to have.