COLD HEART MELLOW

COLD HEART MELLOW
low fire ceramic
sprayed on finishes
winter 2014-15

This is the most massive piece I have built to date. I don't think that bigger is better, and making large work requires a different skill set that may not be my forte. I had to be careful not to force it but I still wanted to take the risk of working larger.  This was fun to build, and once the pieces were at the consistency where I could build with them I had to work fast to make sure it didn't dry out and become brittle.

This also marks the first time I am not keeping the piece monochromatic. I am much more excited about the notion of moving away from single colored finishes than I am about working large.  Color is always a struggle and this seemed effortless so I'm not even gonna try and explain it.  Regardless, as far as the size goes I am still trying to find that sweet spot.

BLANK VERITY

BLANK VERITY
low fire ceramic with deep purple finish
work date 2014

As the work gets larger I learn more about generating these forms as one solid piece. I'm always excited at the opening of a kiln to see the piece survive as one solid form.

I recently dropped off/picked up this piece from a regional show about an hour away from Baltimore (in silver spring) at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Of course on both occasions the entire parking lot was covered in a quarter inch sheet of ice.

What's that you say? A quarter inch is not that much! False. You try carting something that delicate across less than stable terrain.

Ok so it wasn't really that bad in hindsight.

As always @m_voelker_art on instagram
check out a recent shout-out from @claycrits on instagram as well

EVERYTHING IS GOING AS PLANNED

EVERYTHING IS GOING AS PLANNED
low fire ceramic with light red finish
work date: spring/summer 2014

An apt title considering that I made the piece, then watched it crumble to bits in my hands as I was putting it in the kiln, fired it anyway, reassembled the bits and used them as a guide to rebuild the work from scratch but maintain the composition which I liked so much. Altogether a satisfying result to an otherwise frustrating course of action.  That's the way with clay, or maybe even art in general... a series of insurmountable obstacles on the road to immanent disaster.

Ok, that was a little pessimistic but it paints the picture for the mindset when things aren't going as planned.

Patience.

Thanks to all who came out to the show last Wednesday night. I appreciate the support.

As always @m_voelker_art on instagram

SHOW OPENS TOMORROW NIGHT

DESPERATELY SEEKING STRUCTURE

My most recent works as will be on display this month in Federal Hill, Baltimore. See the show cards above for address and information. The show opening reception will begin at 5pm tomorrow night, September 3rd.

Stay tuned for posts of pictures from the show as well as more recent works that will be displayed as part of my ongoing portfolio of work.

As always more images are available on instagram @m_voelker_art

THE LOVE OF A GHOST

THE LOVE OF A GHOST
low fire ceramic with rust finish
work dates: spring 2014

A brief word on titles. Each title is generated after the piece is complete. The titles have to be somewhat lyrical and brief in order to add another layer to the work. Since I am not making work that is necessarily about anything narrative I don't feel the titles have to give away any sense of meaning. If you've ever overheard a snip of conversation in public, or on the radio, that resonated with you and replays in your head (and you have) then you know were the titles come from. Most of the time I fuse words from different sound bites into these brief half-a-line-poems and marry them with the appropriate work. I read a lot so words are important to me. I see the titles as a chance to enhance the work on a formal level.

DISQUIET

DISQUIET
low fire ceramic with red finish
work date: spring 2014

Taking time off in between works can allow for unexpected changes in the work. Subtle nips and tucks in my minds eye over time led me to disregard the roller coaster as a source of inspiration and move towards structures, both real and imagined, as my primary concern. This is one of three pieces constructed over a week in the spring of 2014 after5 having sometime away from the studio. Sometimes the work comes in waves.

This work will be exhibited along with 13 others next month in Baltimore. More details on the show soon (on this page). Other show info and pics can be found on my instagram account @m_voelker_art

LONELY HOURGLASS

LONELY HOURGLASS
low fire ceramic with yellow finish
work date: spring 2013

One of my favorite modes of abstraction is deconstruction. Both this piece and WORDS IN THE DIRT are at the start of leaving the whole circle behind. By offsetting more and more circles on a few different planes I am able to enhance the movement or sense of vertigo one might get from an actual rollercoaster.

As deconstruction allows me to leave the circle behind, the work now begins to move away from the idea of referencing roller coasters specifically. Now I can focus on the broader venues of structure, movement, and whimsy.

As always on instagram... @m_voelker_art

ABSOLUTELY SILENT

ABSOLUTELY SILENT
low fire ceramic with lilac finish
work dates: winter/spring 2013

I had a terrific painting teacher once tell me that at the end of a painting session use the remaining paint on the palette to generate another image so as not to have the paint go to waste. She called it a palette painting. I tried it and over time these came to be some of the more interesting paintings in my portfolio.

This piece was done form the leftover parts that I had at the end of a clay studio session, it is a palette painting of sorts, a little clunky and small but another opportunity to explore none-the-less

WORD IN THE DIRT

WORDS IN THE DIRT
low fire ceramic with chalkboard finish
work dates winter/spring 2013

Abstraction continues... why do the circles have to be whole? Do they still read as circles when severed and/or relocated? how little information can I give and still reference a circle?

Often my work starts with questions like these. I spend time answering them and the sequence of resultant work documents the path I have taken.  For me the object as a document is important because often I have to take long breaks from artmaking. When I return to the work I like to have a foundation from which to draw new ideas and compositions. This body of work is over three years in the making due to several hiatuses that could not be avoided.  The works in the studio right now, just coming out of the kiln, have a strong connection to these but they are currently at a place I could not have perceived. Time and inspiration are under no obligation to let you know what they have in store for you. More on that soon.

and as always on instagram @m_voelker_art

MONSTER MAN

MONSTER MAN
low fire ceramic with deep red finish
work date winter 2012/13

After establishing the circle and shifting the circle, next we break the circle and turn it back on itself. I used three separate circles in the design of this work to change the sense of balance and give the slightest hint of tension. See more on instagram @m_voelker_art