WEEK NINE, DEC 2, Matthew Allison
ARTIST STATEMENT
Although I have purposely chosen to work within the tradition
of functionally oriented ceramics, (sake and tea ware aside)
these vessels are not made to be used as much as contemplated
and felt in the way an artifact might convey the aura of huge
time spans and ceremonial purposes independent of its original
intent. That is the goal anyway.
I believe that art has the best chance of succeeding when it resonates
from a deep well of influences and I feel fortunate to feel the
pull of many. The imagery in this work has grown from memories
and powerful images of America’s western
states and the western myth—distant, desolate vistas, rock formations,
dried and cracked riverbeds and the stratified layers of the earth lifted into
view after epochs. America’s artistic roots lie in Greek thought; there
I have found a basis for the crisp and orderly silhouettes I strive for. The
rough, imperfect surfaces and humble colors are a product of a personal interpretation
of Japan’s most core and traditional aesthetic gleaned from my time there.
And, in an effort to borrow just a bit from the inconceivable power of our collective
consciousness and our familiarity with the human form, this work often employs
bilateral symmetry, a divided foot, embryonic arm buds and sometimes exaggerated
hips, shoulders and bellies that push out like a skeleton beneath a stressed
and cracking skin.
http://www.mattallisonceramics.com/
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