Casey Beck
Visual Artist: Pottery/Ceramics
My work is based around the idea of function and utility. I have always enjoyed the pleasure of using handmade objects and strive to share this love with others around me. Initially, the majority of the work is thrown and altered while still on the wheel. After it has had time to set up, the foot is turned and clay is then subtracted to define the form and create edges and plains. The work is primarily fired in atmospheric kilns. After strategic placing in the kiln, the work is left to the kiln to decide in collaboration with myself what is painted onto the work by the fire. Depending on how the pot is placed in the kiln, sometimes it may be gently kissed by the fire and atmosphere, but on the other hand, it may be bombarded with the same atmosphere. The reason I choose this process, and let the kiln partially decide how the work will look is very spontaneous and never creates the same mark twice. This process creates a new excitement with each firing, and makes me keep coming back for more.
