I need ceramics. I need the clay between my fingers, the pulling of the pot walls, the scoring of coils and hollowing of sculptures. These are needs which must be fulfilled or the mania sets in. The mania created from a lack of purpose and directed energy. The clay takes this in and transforms into what it must in order to quell a spinning mind. The work I find myself creating is organic abstract forms and ceramic furniture design. I am currently really focused on designs for this furniture. The idea excites me due to the extreme need of both form and function to create this type of work. The thought of a piece of ceramic furniture that, if properly taken care of, could last for millennia really jarred my mind.
Some of the oldest evidence of humans found is through clay figures and pottery. It will far outlast the paintings we make, the music we compose, and the stories we print. Ceramics can be there for future generations to take a glimpse at the lives we lived. Either through our functional implementation of the medium, the extravagant sculptures we bring to life or some sort of combination of the two. When clay is used, it should be viewed as more than a plate or a mug or even a statue. It should be molded around the possibility of being seen in ten thousand years and the message our future selves could read from it.
With that, what message should we be putting forward? Of abstract shapes and forms that shows the evolution of the artist perception of what their medium can bring? A perfectly crafted vessel that shows we have, at our core, the same basic needs as our ancestors. I have wrestled with these very questions as I make my art. How can I appease my creativity while making work that can be understood a millennium from now? Do I sound like a pretentious prick? Probably.
Cirriculum Vitae
Education:
2024 BFA in Ceramics, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
2022 AS in Visual Arts, Suffolk County Community College
2020 AA in Liberal Arts, Suffolk County Community College
Scholarships/Awards:
2023 Evan F Lilly Memorial Scholarship
2023 Randolph H Deer Fine Arts Scholarship
2022 Joseph L Van Sickle Scholarship,
2021 Sona Hoefman Art Foundation Scholarship,
2021 Maurice N. Flecker Scholarship,
2021 Lawrence Foundation Scholarship,
2020 Best Sculpture Award from Annual Juried Student Exhibition
2019 Best Ceramics Award from Annual Juried Student Exhibition
Publications:
2021 Perspective Magazine, Issue 100, Suffolk County Community College
Exhibitions:
2024 Studio.Buddha, Thesis Show, Ezkenazi Fine Arts Center, Indianapolis2024 Regional Connections, Cincinnati Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio2023 TINY Show XII, Gallery 924, Indianapolis
2022 Greening IUPUI : Taking Action for Sustainable Travel, Indianapolis
2021 Flecker Gallery, Annual Juried Student Exhibition, Suffolk County Community College,
2020 Flecker Gallery, Annual Juried Student Exhibition, Suffolk County Community College,
2019 Flecker Gallery, Annual Juried Student Exhibition, Suffolk County Community College,
Employment:
2021 Flecker Gallery, Senior Gallery Assistant, Selden, NY,
Helped to setup and prepare gallery shows with creative input,
2019 Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Controller Intern,
Selected and trained to be a TRACON controller,
2011-2018 United States Army, Sergeant, HI, GA, South Korea,
Established training curriculum and trained dozens of Radar specialists while maintaining standards,
2006-2011 Pier 1 Imports, Sales Leader, Lake Grove, NY,
Helping to design and furnish customer’s homes while providing outstanding customer service,
