For Mark Goudy, working in clay is a celebration of the natural elements: earth, water, and fire. He is entranced by the revelatory process of making stone from damp earth -- the tactile experience of working the medium as it undergoes this magical transformation.
His work is an exploration in shape and pattern, using the enclosed vessel as the underlying form. Vessels are constructed from asymmetric curved surfaces that project a unique contour with each viewing angle. The interior space is intentionally hidden, leaving the contents to the imagination, metaphorically containing perhaps hopes, dreams, or spirits. These rounded shapes are meant to be held and, when set on a flat surface, gently rock before coming to rest at their own natural balance point.
"I feel a tangible thread connecting me to twenty thousand years of ceramists who came before. My approach is to combine ancient methods of stone-burnishing and earthenware firing with computer-aided shape design to produce talismans that fuse traditional and modern aesthetics. Surface markings are created by painting water-soluble metal salts on bisque-fired clay. These watercolors permeate the clay body, and become a permanent part of the surface when fired. I have a strong affinity for intricate abstract patterns, ones that can't be fully comprehended with a single glance, an invitation to in-depth exploration. These ceramic forms echo the geometries of nature: waterworn stones, shells, seedpods, expansive desert landscapes, the Milky Way on a moonless night."
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