ARTIST INFORMATION
Stoneware clay, ash glazes/functional pots.
I have worked as a studio potter since 1967.
All the pots that I produce have an intended purpose. I make pots to hold liquids, serve food, and display flowers. Usefulness is an inseparable element in the aesthetic in my pottery.
I avoid formal and elaborate composition and move towards a quiet and subtle simplicity in the pots that I make. The essence that I am seeking in this aesthetic is a stripped, almost brutal, rawness.
The forms which I use are spare, with large, simple areas, heavy textures, weighty bases, and substantial rims and attachments. I focus on the foot and the rim of a form as the defining elements. They are intentionally rough and crude to achieve this definition.
The techniques used in making these pots are again elementary. I throw all the pots on the wheel, then cut, paddle, and alter them into other forms. I use asymmetrical elements throughout to impart vitality and plasticity in the fired work.
I use ash glazes to integrate form and surface in my work. Slips and engobes beneath these ash glazes add depth, subtlety and nuance to complete the visual composition.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
- Functional Ceramics Invitational, Alfred University, NY
- Robert Briscoe – St. Benedict’s College, St. Joseph, MN
- Confluence: The Mackenzie Influence, Continental Clay Company, Minneapolis, MN
- “Robert Briscoe/Matthew Metz”, Lill Street Gallery, Chicago
- Clay National, Penn State University
- Domesticware, Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York
GALLERIES:
- Lemieux Gallery, New Orleans, LA
- Lill Street Gallery, Chicago, IL
- Northern Clay Center Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
- Red Star Studios, Kansas City, MO
- Sarah Thomas Collection, Minneapolis, MN
SELECTED SHOWS:
- The Smithsonian Craft Show
- Coconut Grove Art Festival
- The Philadelphia Craft Show
- Ann Arbor Street Art Fair
- Winter Park Festival of Art
- Plaza Art Festival
- Cherry Creek Art Festival
Harris, MN
Home: 651-674-4656
Work:
Fax: 651-674-4656
Email:
Web: www.mnartists.org/?loc_Name: =viewartistfeature&artistid=902