Our past is always present in many ways. It can exist in a multitude of different forms: language, photography, memory, drawing, and thinking, just to mention a few. My past became visually relevant when I found it necessary to revisit my sketchbooks and notebooks from many years in the past to validate some dates. What I did not anticipate was how my drawings and sketches from twenty to thirty-six years ago would continue to inform my current ceramic work.
I have never had exemplary drawing skills. In fact, other than a simple profile or outline sketch, I have always considered myself a rather inept draftsman. But what I do know is that even with such a mediocre skill set, I could communicate an idea and get the point across. The fact that these rudimentary efforts were only for me was enough. And if I were fortunate enough to date them, these would become points of reference for a specific time and place in my lengthy ceramic career.
I think that as ceramic artists, we are always looking for acceptance, relevancy, and validation, if not from ourselves but from others both within and outside of our community. How we define acceptance, relevancy, and validation is, of course, different for each of us. I remember in a much earlier Studio Potter issue, Mary Barringer spoke of “longer threads of meaning in our work.” I always look for such concepts in my work, and after my lengthy career and small achievements, I still try to maintain some degree of relevance. Mary’s phrase has always resonated with me. A bit of my ceramic history is apropos at this time.
