I'm sure none of us likes being bullied or bossed around. No one I know is in favor of being a victim of circumstance or intentional molestation. So I started making work that investigates power structures and control systems. When the economy hit the fan in 2008, it seemed like a good place to focus some energy. Maybe it was reading Animal Farm too many times or listening to far too many podcasts about the "economic downturn" and "Great Recession," but this body of work continues to be the results of thoughts on those topics. Satirical and darkly comedic, I have Emily Dickenson and Mark Twain as my guides.
Vessels add an extra layer of content based on their implied function. This body of work is enhanced by the nature of use.
Whether we're taking about watering hole dispensers, the shot glass collections or trophy-like urns, personal identity meets community like-mindedness in this body of work.
Made in a variety of clays, in a variety of ways, the piggy banks are an exploration in usable table-top sculpture. Whether they are slip-cast, handbuilt or press-molded, wood-fired, sandblasted or decaled, they each have character and tell a story.
Take them at face-value. Press-molding in stoneware and porcelain, fired to Cone 5 and 10.
These pots are made collaboratively with my partner, Chandra DeBuse. Inspired by Kansas City, where we have lived together since 2012, the functional pots take cues from bygone-era painted signs on brick buildings, weathered MidWestern scenery and a shared love for mid-century design. The mark of the hand and evidence of process are also important touchstones.
These images were taken during the making of large ceramic pieces for my MFA thesis show Loot, Leverage and the Pursuit of Haplessness while at Bowling Green State University.
Special thanks to John Balistreri and Joe Pintz for their wisdom, consulting and help with photography.
