Harmonious Nostalgia

In my own practice I look at what it means to be a part of “the craft” community. Is there a competition between art and craft, and does one hold hierarchy? Why is it important and is it still necessary to separate the two? Besides where artists stand in the craft world vs. art world, I like to consider similar aspects that many different artists include in their work. In utilitarian objects, most pieces are of moderate to small size, so they are easy to handle. Because of this need for accessibility, many artists create on a small scale, but can reference a sense of the monumental. Other times, artists strive to include intimacy in their pieces to bring a new approach to meal time at home. Working off of these ideas, I would like to introduce my own interpretation of the “pastoral” and compare that to Glenn Adamson’s definition in Thinking Through Craft.

For this exhibit, I’ve grouped together several artists that have offered me similar visual experiences. Recently I’ve been gravitating to functional work that can be categorized as pastoral, by the common definition and my own interpretation; they reference something in nature, or a more rustic lifestyle, however, they have a very “modern” twist. Before I go further into ideas of the pastoral, I would like to introduce my three artists and their work.

Kala Stein graduated with her MFA from Alfred in 2009, and begins her artist statement with “in my work, I aim for a simple complexity that is celebrated and beautiful.” The work I would like to concentrate on is her slip-casted porcelain, making table-sets (or as she calls “table sculptures”) that are visually compelling in their individual form as well as arranged together, and is also utilitarian; the work consists of trays, bowls, and vases. Her pieces are simple, but still visually intriguing; the surface is smooth, with no transition between rims and feet. Many times, objects of the same color aren’t placed next to each other, so there is alternating color that highlights the transition from one form to another and the line created with each edge.

Most of her pieces are asymmetrical on their own, but when put into arrangement, they form a symmetrical composition which easily reference a mountain-scape or rolling hills and valleys. Seeing the shapes collaborate together to create a bigger composition can sometimes make a piece complicated, but here it is very calming to the eye. Knowing these pieces can be un-stacked and used only gives greater acceptance to their existence. The clean surfaces and close attention to technique and form eliminate all distractions from enjoying a serene interpretation of something monumental, though represented in a scale that is inviting to the user.

There is something romantic about interpreting with different materials and shrinking the imagery of landscape to something that fits on the table. When compared to ourselves, mountains are enormous and ancient; they affect the weather, where we can settle, and our route of travel. After you engage with the work, you are reminded of the surrounding natural world, wherever you may be. The awe of standing next to monuments that are such a contrast in scale to yourself is then transferred in essence to something that you can touch, hold, and use at your command.

The artist Kristine Morich also discusses landscape, however in different terms. Her “landscape tableware” is more in reference to the architecture and placement of utilitarian forms. “The Landscape series was inspired by both natural landscapes and the aesthetic tradition of Japanese food presentation.” (artist’s website). She uses slip-casted porcelain with undulating rims in bowls and plates and varied thicknesses in each piece. I was drawn to her work because her organic forms, yet pristine surface. This is another example of work that references nature however it is more based around the ritual of cooking, serving, and eating. The pieces are designed to be in collaboration with the aesthetics of food, and is therefore more of a “ceramic landscape” than natural landscape.

This brings me to the third artist, Robbie Lobell, who “believes a need for human touch is satisfied through the daily use of pots made by human hands.” (artist’s website) When asked if she had any cultural influences of her work she answered “the culture of eating;” Robbie works with flameware (roasters, casseroles, oven-to-table serving dishes) and stoneware (mugs, tumblers, plates, teapots), catering specifically in material choice to utility. I was particularly drawn to the flameware in it’s specific function and their forms and surface; as you can see again, there is an undulating thickness in rims of casseroles and serving platters. Here, however, this style’s purpose isn’t to reference nature, but is meant to invite a soft, generous touch. Matte glazes and light atmospheric firing creates a soft surface, as well as casual forms to invite use.

The main theme for this exhibit will be a transition in what is represented as the pastoral. The “pastoral” has been defined as “literature, art, and music which depicts the life of the shepherds, often in a highly idealized manner,” (“Pastoral,” Wiki.). In Thinking Through Craft the pastoral is the sense of longing or nostalgia for a simple, removed life, connecting to nature and pondering the workings of life and society. An interesting gain is being distant from the real world, but “yielding a deeper understanding of that world, or a bit of perspective.” What we associate with the pastoral by that definition and lifestyle is continually changing. From a few decades ago, the word brings up images of Bernard Leach, Michael Cardew, and Warren MacKenzie. Today, however, we can talk about the Alfred MFA student from 2009 Liz Sparks and her use of local earthenware in Alfred and English slip trailing and, in contrast, Kristene Morich’s sterile white slip-cast landscape tableware.

As I have continued my personal research of artists I have noticed a difference between the common belief of the pastoral and my own. Common objectives in bodies of work can reference something in nature, while other pieces carry nostalgia for a different lifestyle; one can be subjective or objective. These differences point out that while what is labeled as the pastoral is continually changing, I think its definition is quite outdated. As Glenn Adamson discusses the shepherds’ removal from society and their philosophical ponderings we are actually living in a time period almost no one exists in that same world. Habits formed from technology and a consequential shift in life priorities has eliminated most opportunities of removal from our society. Whether we like it or not, a cell phone will be included on vacation; people also look towards the media, something created by society for that same escape. Even in making our own tableware, artists are using computer programmed kilns. In some ways the modern world has changed the opportunities for the “removal from society,” it’s no longer about going to the outskirts of town- it’s about finding your own processes and ways of living, which is more difficult as resources are more controlled by laws and industrialization.

When it comes down to the art-making, however, it’s a matter of technology to an extent; when I asked Kala if she would be able to accomplish what she wanted without certain technology she said yes; the process of making is “basic technology,” part of craftsmanship is finding an appropriate way to create your work depending on what resources are available (Stein, interview). “All the gear and equipment that may fill a potter’s studio never really affect the essential, primal, eternal, ceramic orchestration that lives and breathes therein. No matter what one may do in the ceramic studio or how one may do it, one is still and forever a pottery of ancient days, (Spleth).” Instead of trying to escape our increasingly complicated world, artists have subconsciously collectively responded to this problem in a different way.

Michael Cardew starts off an essay as such: “I feel a lot of sympathy for the lecturer who recently told a large gathering that if all craft potters and their works were to disappear overnight from the face of the earth, the world at large would not notice that anything had happened, (Cardew, 2).” It is true, hand-made materials are not essential to our existence anymore. Factories, machines, and a lot of plastic have taken over a large role of the traditional artisan. In most cases, what would be contained in ceramic pitchers, jars, and candle sticker holders come already packaged and boxed for convenient use, with no need to transfer to another holder. So why are so many artists continuing to make these permanent objects, when they are clearly not needed in our society?

Robbie Lobell put eloquently: “the beauty of making is allowing our minds to wander [since] we have lost that shepherd part of ourselves…. Allowing ourselves to prepare objects that are designed for enjoyment by a community is exceptionally imperative, (Lobell, interview).” Artists revert to an older process of making (with ceramics, compared to modern factory making of plastics or “green” materials) and strive to bring together families through the meal, or create a relationship between object and user. Andy Brayman states it as “the potter’s ability to enrich and celebrate the meal, (Brayman).”

“I hope that my work can offer similar opportunities for contemplation, a calm in the midst of our bustling world. To provide a visual resting place for thoughts beyond the piece itself- the memory of a place visited, the suggestion of a water-polished stone, the outline of a horse’s jaw, or the texture of a weathered antler….(Stein, statement).”

“I am committed to making pots for use in the kitchen, on the table, and in the home. I believe a need for human touch is satisfied through the daily use of pots made by human hands, (Lobell, statement).”

“The aesthetic of food is composed of shape, scale, color, and texture. My pieces intend to inspire experimentation with these elements. I believe the vessel should engage the ritual of cooking, serving, and eating, (Morich).”

To me this fits into the pastoral- or a form of it- because it seems to yearn for another utopian world; we yearn for the handmade original since we’re surrounded by objects that are 1 out of 100,000; we want intimate interactions in our lives, with people and objects. I believe that the potter is reaching out to that longing, and is therefore a part of the pastoral. “I strive to make pots that contain, in a quiet almost unassuming way, a seductive sort of integrity that will be communicated over time and use, (Bryman).”

The pastoral is meant to be two sided. In viewing the work you have a moment to ponder their beauty and existence. However, you will eventually recognize their material and the energy and equipment it requires to reach that state, the knowledge required for the maker to reach that point in creation. Those works cannot exist in the pastoral for very long, because they depend on the real world to have a purpose. Buyers, users, and art viewers support their existence. An important feeling in the pastoral is the longing and nostalgia of when it is gone; if Kala’s pieces completely recreated what they reference (if they literally represented mountains) and they never left the pastoral, they would loose their importance. The allegorical figure of the shepherds only existed because there were others to long for their ability to slip away and their freedom from society. The fact that her work is abstracted shapes supports their beauty, because you long to transform it into what you see, while you still appreciate how that idea was reduced to the simple sense of line, volume, and form.

On a formal, objective note, I find hand-crafted ceramics meets a similar paradox: artists want to integrate functional work into people’s lives, though simple things such as glossy surfaces or ornate decorating of a thin handle makes the hand hesitate at lifting a vase or mug. This object designed for function in a personal setting can sit stagnant. Pictures of Kristine’s landscape tableware presented on her website show design orientated ware, here used for gourmet-style portioned food. In the common household where food is prepared quickly and out of necessity, rather than luxury tasting and presentation, users may be more hesitant to choose a porcelain landscape platter that’s 18 x 7.5 x 2”.

Robbie’s pieces do quite the opposite. As she learned from an influential mentor, to get at the essence of a form and create a personal aesthetic, distil the forms down to their absolute essentials, then add back what’s important. This could also be related to Kala’s work, as she similarly quoted “In my own way I hope to achieve what Garth Clark speaks of in Warren McKenzie’s work, ‘This kind of power comes from subtraction, from removing everything that is extraneous until one is left with what can only be described as an essence, (Stein).’” Apparent in both artists’ work, in Robbie’s pieces smooth surfaces and strap handles are all that decorate most pots, and it’s all that’s needed. These pots are far from pretentious and do all they can to offer their use and beauty equally.

I realize that my new meaning to the pastoral overlaps into areas that are frequently discussed. A necessary role of the craftsperson is indeed to introduce the handmade into other’s lives; they must consider what will lure buyers to their wares. Ellen Dissanayake has mentioned the “nostalgia industry,” which may just be what I am trying to categorize (Dissanayake, 81). While Ellen was talking about artists and media together, the nostalgia industry could apply to ceramics alone. “…the territory claimed by ceramics produces works of art that have an irreducible value. Ceramics is like the humming mosquito that is invisible and will not go away. Ceramics is a reminder of essential vulnerabilities….has a one-to-one relationship to people, and establishes the exact measure of a human scale,”(Spleth). It’s hard to separate qualities that exist because of the nature or history of the material versus artists’ intentions.

If the pieces in the exhibit are to be arranged in the sequence they have been discussed, you would notice a trend; I would like the show to represent the shift in definitions of the pastoral, going from pristine, sculptural compositions largely about formal qualities of a “natural essence” to the daily use of the hand-made, generous home-baking-encouraging pots. The show would be in a rectangular gallery space so that the direction of viewing can be controlled; at the front of the gallery would be some of Kala’s pieces, some works formally arranged to fit together, and some pieces standing alone. Next would be Kristine’s pieces, with some work stacked as if it were in storage, while other pieces set as if they were ready to be used at the table. Lastly would be Robbie’s work, with both stoneware and flameware cooking pots arranged together. I would like food (or whatever was intended to be held in each piece) to be presented in some of the work as well, so the viewers can see how they would be used. For example, Kristine’s plates and bowls present food the same way she has posted on her website, small gourmet portions expertly prepared. On the other hand, Robbie’s casserole dishes and platters would carry generous piles of homemade comfort foods.

It is my hope that the viewer will be able to grasp each artist’s intentions for intimacy in their making and see some visual similarities that would make a cohesive viewing experience. I know that people will respond to each work differently, and may find one artist more approachable than others, though I hope a shift will be determined, from Kala’s “harmonious compositions” to Robbie’s soft flameware cooking pots.

Bibliography

Brayman, Andy, Master’s Thesis, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, 1998.

Cardew, Michael. "Why Make Pots in the Last Quarter of the 20th Century?." Potter's Companion (1993): 2-8.

Dissanayake, Ellen. "Beyond Nostalgia, Closing Lecture by Ellen Dissanayake." N.C.E.C.A. Journal. (1995): 81. Print.

Lobell, Robbie. "Artist Statement." ROBBIE LOBELL Pots for the kitchen, Table & Home. Web. 25 Nov 2009. .

Lobell, Robbie, interview with artist, November 30, 2009.

Morich, Kristine. "Landscape Tableware." Kristine Morich Studio. 28 Mar 2008. Web. 25 Nov 2009. .

"Pastoral." Wikipedia. 2009. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastoral>.

http://kristinemorich.blogspot.com/search/label/Landscape%20Tableware

http://www.robbielobell.com/artist/index.html

Spleth, Tom. "CERAMICS and the ZEITGEIST." Studio Potter. 32.2 (2008): Print.

Stein, Kala. "artist statement." Kala Stein. Web. 1 Dec 2009. .

Stein, Kala, interview with artist, December 3, 2009.