Terraformation Series II

I am inspired by the dramatic landscapes of the Badlands National Park in South Dakota and by the seascapes of West/East Coast. The raw landscapes span layered rock formations, steep canyons, towering spires, and coastal erosion. Much of the Badlands’ magnificence comes from the banded coloring of the minerals found in the stratified hillsides that yield fossilized dinosaur bones and other long vanished creatures. The shifting colors of the hills and cliffs that change from dawn until dusk under dramatic skies lit by natural phenomena such as storms and sunsets provide the rich color schemes for my ceramics. I am getting a lot of entertainment mileage by throwing porcelain and handbuilding stoneware in an intuitive manner to create surfaces that mimic the eroded bentonitic clay hills or cliffs that form the hallmark features of the Badlands and West/East Coast. The spontaneity that I am relying on to keep things interesting in my work is a driving force for this series. Similar to my Terraformation Series I: Earth Trek Borneo, I consider all of my ceramics to be experimental. I chose to work in a less predictable manner because I want to pay homage to the geological landscapes and seascapes that hold the key to my curiosity. By experiencing each small landscape/seascape that displayed a different kind of clay, I become familiar with the qualities of natural landscape/seascape.  I work towards using my ceramic materials and kiln to make ceramic works that resonate back to the character of that original location. This explains all of my recent work has a natural quality to it.