Artist Statement
Primarily working with hand-built ceramic sculpture, I draw on the language of avant-garde movements from the early 20th century taking influence from Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Gutai and the Dada spirit. My approach to finding new ideas can be improvisational and at times reckless. As it relates to ceramics, my work does not rely on technique. Design and spontaneity oscillate as the conducts of the ceramic material process carve new pathways and openings that lead the original trajectory of the work astray. How the dust falls, slip spiraling in an inverted cone, the frothy texture of the clay when procured from a slowly revolving mixing machine–I continue to give my attention to these material interactions, tuning in beyond the apparent reality of the task in order to observe the subtlest reality within.
My work exists within a liminal space; unresolved– stirring ideas of paradox, mystery, and transcendence. Tied closely to the expressive treatment of media is an element of craft, innocence and clean coordinated forms creating a presentation that swings between complexity and logic, absurdity and reason. Anatomical and mythical fragments, kinks and creases resembling organs and withering fruit, found objects and fabricated components condense into lyrical formulations; a vitrified blend of anxiety and ease. Meditating on curiosities and questions about my sociocultural surroundings–mindful of incessant psychological murmurs and mental objects–I look deeply at the language of the natural, physical world as it relates to the mind and shared emotional states of the human condition, shepherding a superradiant field of formless particles into a fold.
Artist Talk; ARCC Faculty Lecture Series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Q5uaf0T-Y
bradyjmclearen@gmail.com