Interview by: Gian Hunjan - 6.1.2009

Q: Hey Adam, huge fan of your work. How long have you been throwing? When did you come to the realization that pottery is the avenue you want to travel down?
A:I have been making pots for about six years. I started at a public access studio in Springfield, Mo. When I moved to the East Coast, I took classes at similar studios sporadically until I went to Tyler. I decided making pots was something I really wanted to do when I was applying for colleges and realized I needed to go to a school with a ceramics department.

Q: A lot of your pieces such as the Bird Milk Jug seem to draw from Asian culture. More common in your work is the theme of nature. From where do you draw your inspiration?
A: I grew up in the West, living on the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains in Utah and camping in national parks in the desert and in the Northern Midwest. Living in that landscape is probably the biggest reason I started carving these landscape, nature scenes.  Nature and the outdoors have been a big part of my life, but the decoration isn’t an outpouring of me thinking, “I just love nature so much." One of the reasons I continue to decorate my pots with trees and birds is because they are really fun to carve, especially birds like Canadian geese and loons because they have such complicated feather patterns.  Feathers and fish scales are easy to depict clearly but can let me carve lots detail, which is fun. (I preface this with that fact that I am a huge art-history nerd.)  There are definite Asian influences in my work, some formal and some pictorial.  Potters and designers in Europe and the Middle East have copied and emulated Chinese ceramics for centuries. The Asian influence of forms is embedded in our cultural conscious because of its historic significance, and [it] is impossible to make pots without.  The Asian pictorial influences come from my use of patterns like fish scales and roe that I used on Fish Roe Cobalt Cup and Pattern Test Milk Jug.  I deliberately use decorative motifs of different cultures together, which is partly a thing about globalism and partly just aesthetically interesting for me. Some of the visual cultures that I am most influenced by are the sprawling line work of Australian Aboriginal art, the refined play of organic and geometric qualities in pre-Colombian ceramics and pattern, and the calligraphy of Islamic art. The nature imagery does of reference East Asian ink paintings of landscapes and nature, and I hope they are a little like John [James] Audubon’s nature paintings too.  Using cobalt blue on porcelain also is a direct influence of Chinese ceramics.

Q: The unique aspect of sculpture or pottery is the way the owner of the piece chooses to use it. Some may use your Fish and Bird Bowl to store rice in, or fruit or nothing at all. Are there intended uses for your pieces or do you welcome open usage?
A: There is definitely intended use built into the forms I use.  Inherent in the form of a bowl are certain uses, and different forms relate to different uses.  For example, the Bird Pasta Bowl’s large, flared lip makes it a more generous open form than the Baker Bowl’s vertical walls.  One would work better to eat spaghetti from than the other, but once the pot is sold, it really doesn’t bother me much. 

There is a discussion that can happen between the form of the pot and its use, which usually stems from making forms that historically had very specific uses, but those uses have been replaced by things like refrigerators and pest control.  We don’t need to have large storage jars that we bury outside the house up to the neck and cover with a leather seal, but that shape of pot is still made and now used as a decorative vessel.

Q:  Pokémon was a driving factor in my upbringing during my prepubescent years, and the nostalgia behind your Squirtle cups evoke a feeling in me I have not felt in years. Why Squirtle, Adam? Why not Charizard or Jigglypuff?
A: First, I used Squirtle because I had a plastic toy of it that I could use for the molds of his head. I am looking for more Pokémon toys to make molds of though.  The nostalgia that Squirtle and Pokémon in general invoke is the reason I like using them on my pots.  They interest me because they are really effective generational markers.  Someone our age sees the Squirtle head on the cup, completely devoid from its context, and still reads it as a Pokémon and its associations of childhood and whatnot.  That same Squirtle head is read by someone older as a weird turtle if that.  I like using the Pokemon heads like how putti or cherubs work in Rococo and Baroque decoration. If I am going to use a feature like a floating head as a centerpiece to decoration, why not use something that is playful and modern like Pokémon?

Q: All of your works are complete and have substance to them. All the way down to your name, your patterns carry through all the way into the very bottom of your work. For example: your Apple Bowl and Bird Shit Bowl. Can you comment on the importance of following through on your work? How utilizing your space can make all the difference?
A: The signatures are an important part of the work. They are something that is really important for the consumer, a way for them to connect with the maker of the piece.  Bringing the pattern and image all the way to the bottom of pots like the Apple Bowl or Fish Roe Cobalt Cup is a way of trying to integrate the signature into the decoration as well as bring the viewer’s attention to the bottom of the pot. 

Also, when you look at my work, the picture space is pretty busy.  The images are pretty dense, and I tend to fill the sides and bottoms of the pots with the carving. This is I think in part a horror vacui where I feel I need to fill the space and part just my obsessive compulsive nature that lets me spend hours carving a single pot.  The abstract patterns of SPFD Vase, Test Pattern Milk Jug, and Fish Roe Cobalt Cup come from this decorative strategy where I just start carving without a plan and create problems in the design for me to solve and fill the space.  To some degree, the amount of detail I carve becomes part of the meaning of the pot above and beyond the imagery itself.

Q: What would you do if you walked into a party and four guys were playing beer pong with your Nabertherme Cups?
A: That would be great.  A friend of mine made cast porcelain red plastic cups, and after I saw those, I thought making a really fancy set with floral decals and gold luster would be funny—grandma’s china, only for beer pong.

I am interested in how to make my pots contemporary objects. The majority of pots that are being made in the US are kind of debilitated by nostalgia and historicism, made in styles that don’t relate to modern life.  I don’t think that super designed pots are the solution, but the brown, backwoods, Megei-esque pots are not contemporary either. 

I think that tapping into popular culture can be a way to make pottery relevant to what is going on in our lives today. Beer pong maybe the quintessential American tradition of our generation, so it would be great if my work could function in that ritual.

Q: How large is your SPFD Vase? How long did it take you to create? Have you had any experiences where your pieces have broken nearing completion? How do you deal with the frustrations of your craft and how does this process add to the finished product?
A: The SPFD vase is, like, 13 inches, I think. That piece probably took three hours to carve, and that is time beyond the actual throwing, trimming and glazing of the pot. The abstract patterns can take longer than the representational ones. They have less detail but require me to think about them more and solve lots of design problems as they are carved.  

Breaking work is inevitable and is just something I accept.  It is important not to treat ceramic work as too being precious because it can – and will – mess up at anytime.  For example: the Bird Shit Bowl.  During the firing of this piece, some dirty-white glaze dripped off the bottom of the kiln shelf and onto the bowl all over the head of a swan.  That was completely unintentional and looks like a bird shit on the bowl.  Despite the hours carving the water scene with swans and trees this accident made the bowl so much better.  

I put a lot of time into my work with the carved decoration, and it does suck when you accidently break a piece when loading it into a kiln to be fired or just picking it up wrong. But it doesn’t really bother me that much anymore because I can make it again.  When making the work it is important, not worry too much about ruining it because that can keep you from experimenting and taking the work to a new place.   It would drive me crazy to get worked up when something breaks or goes wrong, despite the investment of time in each piece. When I do break a pot I always have another more to work on. 

Quality is really important for me in my work, so I am pretty selective about what work I make that I actually keep or sell.  Also, it is incredibly satisfying and cathartic to break my work after it is completely done. The sound the porcelain makes when it smashes against a wall or tree is too great not to break my pots that are not up to snuff.

Q: Adam, would you consider sculpting pudding?
A: I have thrown with concrete, plaster and cream cheese, so sure. 

Q: Thanks for the interview Adam and letting us showcase your work. Where can we find more? Do you offer any for purchase?
A: I have some work at Tyme Gallery in Havertown, Pa., and I sell pots when people see me and want them.  Gian, Thanks for talking to me and showing my work.

Interview by: Gian Hunjan 

Age:  19
Specialty: Painting and drawing
Institution: Tyler School of Art
Equipment: Paint, pencils
Preferred Pudding Flavor:  Bread

Q: Emma what is your favorite material to work with or to paint on? From your pictures it’s a bit hard to tell which types of materials you use because everything seems to have a unique texture, is this part of your creative intention?
A:  I feel like I should get my hands on everything that I can while I'm in art school. Conceptually, my pieces tie together, but my choices in media are a bit all over the place. But I don't really mind that because I'm still trying to find out what material best expresses my ideas and I want to try a little of everything- printmaking, painting, and collage are exciting to me lately but I always find a way to return to drawing.

Q: I am pretty sure I’ve seen many of your portrait subjects around campus, and at social gatherings. What do you like about painting your friends? Is it the chance to depict them in a way they may have never seen before? Sometimes a painting can recreate a new personality for the subject and even in your self-portrait you depict yourself differently. Do you make your friends sit still for twelve hours with out food in order to capture the moment?
A: Having my close friends and family members sit for me is the most ideal situation- first of all, I don't have to pay them, and they're the only people that I really want to have as subjects. I think that there's something cool about finding complete strangers on the street or wherever and getting them to pose for you, and a lot of artists that I admire do just that, but right now that isn't something that I'm interested in exploring in my own work. I feel like it's almost a sacred ritualistic experience to paint someone with whom I have a deep connection and I think it makes the finished work more substantial because I already understand to some degree how my subjects are feeling and how they choose to relate to their environments. Making a psychological portrait of someone intrigues me much more than creating an accurate depiction of how they appear physically. I wouldn't necessarily say that I want to create a "new" personality for anyone in my portraits, but I definitely emphasize traits which I see as essential to that particular individual. Self-portraits are important to me because I'm forced to consider my own state of mind at a particular time and how much of that I want to share with others...plus, there are no scheduling issues. The logistics of getting my friends to sit for me can be annoying - since light and color are important in my paintings, I very rarely use any kind of photo reference. That said, I would never make anyone sit for twelve hours without food because word would get out and nobody would pose for me. Also, I really like feeding people.

Q: Your portrait of Shane is reminiscent of Conan O’Brien. Shane’s posture reminds me of an older gentlemen flipping through the television until he comes upon an interesting show like “Saved by the Bell.”  What is Shane watching? What made you want to paint him in the action of watching television?
A: You know, I can't remember what Shane was watching! He's in Scotland now, but otherwise I would totally call and ask. If I had to guess, I'd say that he was watching an episode of WifeSwap. For that particular series of portraits, I wanted to focus on faces and hands, because hands can be just as expressive as faces, and I pretty much gave my friends free reign to do their own thing so the credit for that pose goes to Shane. One of the funny things about portraits is that the viewer is often supposed to use their suspension of disbelief and assume that the subject is caught in a moment of time, though in reality we know that the model had to sit in one place for hours and they were probably just completely bored. There's something honest about a painting of someone who is obviously completely engaged in something else, especially something as mindless as watching TV.

Q: I have always had a difficult time creating art without looking at something to base the piece on. When artists can construct a piece solely on imagination I am always taken back Emma. What is the process from start to finish for your creation of your “creature” pieces?
A: Well first I did about thirty small etchings of animal parts- one plate was filled with legs, one with eyes, and so on. Then, I made a lot of prints of every plate and cut each body part out. After that, I just stuck things together and added other papers and paint until I had a lot of frankensteins. This whole process was really fun. It actually wasn't created solely from imagination. I'm really into Victorian-era prints of animals and plants and I draw my pets whenever I get a chance, so all of the individual body parts are based on real creatures.

Q: Do you think you would ever be able to paint one of your friends in the process of consuming pudding? Whether it be eating the actual dessert or reading it is up to you…
A: Hey Gian: got a few extra hours and some snackpacks?

Q: Emma you will be departing to Rome for an entire semester in the coming Fall of 2010. What are you looking forward to taking away from the excursion and incorporate into your future pieces?
A: I'm just psyched to be living in a city with such a rich cultural history and I anticipate that I will be put in my place; it must be humbling to be completely surrounded by hundreds of years of amazing art. I love Philly, but I think that I could really benefit from a change of scenery for a few months though I can't say specifically how I think that will affect my work.

Q: Where did you get the thought for “Let's Braid Some Hair"?
A: Creating a narrative without a clear plot is something that I have been exploring in my portraits and I wanted to see if this concept would translate to other subject matter and material. I pieced together symbols which I find myself doodling all the time (horses and braided hair) and made them into one image. A simple line drawing can appear highly worked and even formidable after it has been etched onto a copper plate, inked up, and run through the printing press.

Q: Right now I’m listening to Beyonce’s “Diva.” Do you listen to any music while creating your art Emma? Do you think music is an intricate part of the creation process?
A: I'm so glad that you're listening to "Diva" because that's one of my favorites right now. I have listened to music while making art, but not deliberately. If I'm working in the studio at school, I'll be painting to whatever someone else is playing. So no, I don't think that listening to music is an important part of my creation process, but I guess I have never given it much thought, to tell you the truth. I usually just zone out.

Q: Emma, can you offer some closing words on the importance to stay creative for potential artists? How you try to keep your eyes on your personal style and not stay from it?
A: It seems contradictory, but for me, drawing from observation is the best way to develop my personal style. There are so many weird things out there and just sitting down and recording something with a pencil and paper can be so worthwhile and helpful.

Q: Thanks so much for showing us your work Emma. Where can we find some more?
A: Thanks for letting me show it! I do have a blog- emmamakesthings.blogspot.com- but I forgot the password sometime in October and I may never remember it. I'm making a flickr page for my art in the near future though. 

Age: 21
Institution: Tyler School of Art
Specialty: Being awesome and painting
Materials: Anything I can get my hands on
Preferred Pudding Flavor: Mmm tapioca is not too bad

Interview by: Gian Hunjan

Q: Ben, your pieces are massive. A Religious Undertone is 5 feet X 6 feet, A Tragic Idea is 6 feet X 6 feet. What are your reasons for creating larger pieces over small ones?
A: Well I definitely don’t think bigger is better. However, for the way I’ve been working I feel that it is better for me.  Before I was making small to medium size paintings and trying to cram all this stuff into these little spaces. Now, since I’ve been working bigger I feel that I have room to really be expressive with my marks.  For a few paintings I was pouring paint on a snow shovel and then dragging it across the canvas. Working larger has also helped me have a better understanding of how scale applies to painting.

Q: Its nice to see that you utilize your space, one time I went to a gallery and there was a huge canvas with a few red and blue dots on it. What are your thoughts on space, and utilizing it in an effort to showcase your work? There is so much space out there, and its up for grabs until a corporation buys it, so may as well take advantage of it right?
A: Truly space for me is a challenge I want so badly to put so much on my canvas and then often they become too busy or overworked. I’m learning how important it is to have empty spaces in your work to give the eye a rest. Its true there is so much space out there and sometimes it is very nice just to appreciate open empty space, and then yes some corporation comes along and sticks a building in it.  Then it’s not so nice.

Q: For some of your pieces like Acrylic City Scape Two or Bird House, it is hard to see a city or a birdhouse at first glance. I really have to sink into your work to pick out certain aspects of the each piece’s theme, but when I do it feels nice. Do you think it’s a good thing when onlookers have to study your work in order to appreciate it?
A: When I look at art its very important for me to spend time with the piece.  The kind of art I like is the kind that grabs your attention but also allows engaging with it for a period of time and gain a greater knowledge about the piece.

Q: Furthermore, how do you conjure these images in your brain before you begin the physical creation process? Do you try to develop a mental outline of what your want to create before you start, or do you let your brush hit the canvas first? Or both?
A: Sometimes I’ll just be walking around and I’ll see something and think “heck ya!” that could be something cool for a painting or I could really put that thing into a composition. Or sometimes I’ll be looking through artist books and like the way they paint and try to imitate that in some way. Sometimes I get so sick of thinking about painting and just run in there all aggressive and nuts and just start applying material and paint on the canvas, and then I step back and start working with what I’ve just made. There is just so much inspiration everywhere.

Q: The Beginning of the End is a wonderful portrayal of what its going to look like if our world ends… or when. I like how you took the underwater perspective in the foreground; almost as if you stuck a camera halfway into the water and let the top half capture the skyline. What was going through your head when you were working on The Beginning of the End Ben? Personally, I keep thinking of the scene in I Am Legend where Will Smith is getting chased by goblins.
A: Well thank you. I did that painting three years ago. Originally, I wrote this little two page story about the world being overtaken by industry. The story then continues into how one day nature will sort of reclaim the earth and prevail over all these things we’ve been polluting it with.  The painting was a response to that. After that I started really becoming interested in making apocalyptic paintings and sort of narrative paintings.

Q: I like Wu Bangin’, it captures the essence of Wu, loud and all up in you. You think GZA and Ghostface tear through from pudding before a show?
A: Hahaha I wish they would man. Truly I would I could go on forever about the Wu tang clan and all that they have done to revolutionize the Hip Hop world,  Sometimes it gets to be too much for people. I Think I like talking about Wu more than talking about art or politics or religion. “Protect Ya Neck”

Q: Ben, you seem to blend pure nature with contemporary aspects. I’m White (with a religious suggestion) looks like a forest and a white robot in the middle of it. Although The Pudding tries not to touch on religion, what is the meaning behind the title in the aforementioned piece?
A: Well “I’m White” was just a joke about race, but the religious aspect of it is the robot, to me, it kind of represents this apocalyptic satanic figure surrounded by all these little industrial parts and gasmasks. Sort of this end of the world industrial apocalypse. And then at the top of the piece in the sky there is a small lion that represents this kind of higher being god figure. The trees and everything around it are kind of the good in and beauty in the earth.  Some of these these things are small and hard to see unless you’re up close but that’s alright. There also little areas of text throughout the piece I try to use to help explain the meaning.

Q: Hey Ben, thanks a lot for showing us so much of your work. Honestly I could ask you endless questions on everything, but I’m hoping this interview will entice viewers to do that themselves. Is there any advice you can shell out to future artists, especially painters?
A: Thank you for being interested in my stuff. Sometimes I don’t feel qualified enough to give advice because I still have so much to learn but I think its important for artists and young artist like myself to really be experimental with your art and subject matter. There is many different ways to paint and things to paint and trying new things really helps you learn so much.

Q: Where can we find more of your work and what do you have planned for the future?
A: Oh man I don’t Know the future is such a confusing time. Currently I’m working on some printmaking stuff which has been a helpful medium.  I think this summer I want to just explore different venues for showcasing my work since I currently have none.

But if anyone wants to see Chillin’ on the Block up close it’s hanging in the Tyler admissions office. Or if anyone wants to see anything just let me know my email is tua50767@temple.edu.

- Thanks again Ben and best of luck to you. Hopefully we’ll see you again on The Pudding in the near future.