ceramics – Circle Foundation for the Arts

Eva Cocco

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“I am a self-taught sculptor working with ceramics. I chose this material as my medium because I find it extremely fascinating for its very intrinsic quality: It is alive, delicate and it responds to the handmade work with its own memory. Ceramic needs to be understood and is not possible to have complete control over it; it doesn’t bend to the mere caprice of the artist, it directly responds to external climatic changes therefore the result will always be unpredictable.

This behavior so intimately connected with the natural elements, not allowing complete ownership of the material, allowed me to remain humble, meditative and connected with the energy of things that surround me.

My heritage is a main theme in my creative process: I use as reference the corals, the shells and sea-urchins of the Sardinian sea, the unique design of ancient jewelry that still nowadays decorates our traditional costumes. I get inspired by the distinctive shape of the typical sweets of my hometown, Nuoro.”

Lenore Rae Lampi

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American artist, Lenore Rae Lampi recently exhibited sculptural work at Art Palm Beach 2020 and SOFA Chicago 2019 with Steidel Contemporary Gallery. She is scheduled to show at CONTEXT Miami, in December 2020 with Steidel Contemporary. Her bronze sculpture "Found Furls" was accepted for the Fahrenheit 2018 Biennial at the AMOCA Museum, Pomona, California.

Currently, Lenore Rae Lampi’s work can be found in the permanent collection of Tweed Museum of Art, Vermilion Community College and Cuyo University, Mendoza, Argentina, and touring in Finland. Private installations include a wall of work at the Marriott South West, Minneapolis. Several pieces of the Bling Series are on display in early September with A Way Online Art Gallery in the exhibit titled, Spectrum.

Eleanor Swan

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What themes does your work involve?

My themes can be varied according to the particular project I am working towards, but in general they have a political narrative or are a social comment on issues that exist in our world today.

Describe your creative process.

If I make a piece of sculpture and it has meaning for me, if I possess its reason for being and can justify the thought process behind it, then I have succeeded in creating a piece of art. I begin with an open mind, I rarely make notes or drawings but when I am in the process of making, in my head I have an idea of a sequence of moves I would like to try. There is a a kind of rush when you are pulling and pushing all these angles together to articulate something and you have to hold your nerve. Its almost a game of control , trying to get it to work but then there is a moment when it begins to breath and develops a presence of its own. Its thrilling, its difficult to say how I know a work is finished, but I always know and love that moment when I down tools and stand back.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

'Life' influences and inspires my work! I am not good with words and I agonise when asked to write something. But making art and the making process allows me to express myself in a deeper more meaningful way and gives me great joy.

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

Art is a very personal thing. No two people see a work of art in the same way but if a painting, sculpture, ceramic bowl etc can reach your soul and stir an emotional response then that is more important than anything. A favourite quote of mine is from Ann Hamilton 'The Body and the Object': "A work of art should interest the eye, excite the brain, move the mind to reflection, involve the heart and come at us from an unexpected angle and stop us short in wonder."

What is the role of the artist today?

I don't think anyone chooses to be an artist like you choose to be an accountant or a scientist. An artist is a way of being, a way of life. My earliest memories of being creative go back to the age of six. While I was always being creative in one form or another, I trained and worked as a nurse for 25 years before leaving the profession to go to art college, from that moment on I felt I could finally be 'me'. I think art it hugely underestimated for the value it has to offer in our everyday lives. It teaches us to see think differently and provides us with a way to express ourselves without constraints and rigid rules......and allows great freedom of thoughts.

Helga Palasser

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Helga Palasser is a trained sculptor from Austria who gained her diverse working experience especially by traveling to different places around the world like California, Nepal, Zimbabwe, and several European countries. One of her specialties is modelling portraits out of clay giving them a unique liveliness and familiarity that goes far beyond mere depiction. Besides this realistic approach, a strong impetus towards abstract forms characterizes her work although there is always a concrete experience in which these forms are grounded. In her recent work, Palasser focusses on the subject of interculturality and connects the process of artistic production with intercultural exchange. Her latest work in this respect was exhibited at Venice ART Biennale “Personal Structures” 2019.

Helga’s work is characterized by figurative motifs as well as abstract forms. The heavy compact material of clay is transformed into light fine shapes that could occasionally give the impression of drawings when looked at from the distance. When looked at closer, the corporal aspect of weight imposes itself without diminishing the lightness of the forms, however.

Nathan Neufeld

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First and foremost a big Thank you to Circle foundation for continuing to provide these opportunities. I am honored to receive first place for this Artist of the Month competition.

One of the more exciting future projects I am working towards at the moment is the invention of a process. The process has 2 major parts, one a software that generates and develops ceramic formulations for clay bodies and surface treatments, such as glazes. The second is a robotic system that takes those recipes and distributes the necessary ingredients and amounts for each formulation from miniature silos. The first body of work I am envisioning to result from this process is a series of modular geometries that can come together in three dimensions, each module made of their own unique recipe. These would come together in formations that would echo the relationships between the recipes. For example, imagine the structure of a spider web. From a central formulation -- we have hundreds of strains branching out, all related in diminishing degrees to their neighbors. Now imagine this in three dimensions.

Much of my work stems from a passion for exploration. Like the author of a book you can't put down, I strive to share this sense of exploration, discovery, and revelation with to viewer and user.

To join me in my Odyssey, check out NathanNeufeld.com and follow me on Instagram @neufelddesign.

Onwards and upwards.