| Artist Statement A large part of my inspiration in clay art is the clay itself. Clay that is found “in the wild” can be wet, fresh and slick, or dry, weathered and cracked. It records layers of time, and marks of action; it is everything ground up and homogenized to form the flesh of the earth. I’m fascinated how clay provides a tangibility of the mysterious interactions of matter and energy around us. Like the clay that it is made from, my work is an eclectic mixture, using form and design from different cultures and time periods. It is like visual poetry inspired by geography, questioning what we create, and that which creates us. Using this idea of the subjective and objective, I often reference geology, technology, symbolism and traditional pottery. Like any abstract art, my work often has an inevitable ambiguity as viewers extract a variety of messages from it based on their own experiences and self-awareness. The meaning they give to it becomes the reason for its existence. |
| Dave Zdrazil is a clay artist and an Associate Faculty member at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, California. Since completing his M.F.A. at the University of North Texas in 2005, he has taught at several institutions in addition to giving guest lectures, workshops and private consultation related to ceramics and kiln building. He has presented at the National Council on Education for Ceramic Arts in the U.S. as well as ceramics conferences in France, Australia and Germany. His work has been exhibited in many countries and is found in collections around the world. |
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