Primal Element Series

This body of work investigates the physical properties and historical uses and relationships of clay as a material. As rock weathered into sand and sand became mud and clay, the surface of the world became alive. Even from the beginning, humankind seemed to understand how life sprang from the earth and would return to it. As with all life, ceramics needs air, water, and heat for its existence. Only humans and clay share the most intimate relationship that includes food, meals, homes, writing and much more. This series proudly embraces the strength of a 10,000 year old ancient and global tradition of vessel making across cultures, borders and time. The vessel form is chosen to tell this part of the exhibit story for its universal accessibility, timelessness and symbolic power. Reference to rock as parent material, archeological ceramic artifacts, and cultural decorative patterns reinforce the universal significance of pottery as a meaningful discipline.

“Earth I am, it is most true, disdain me not for so are you.” – English folk pottery motto