Hawksview Pottery
Hawksview Pottery
Functional Ceramic Art
Functional Ceramic Art
Carol Dobbins, potter
Carol Dobbins, potter
(Every artist needs a bio and an artist statement. I see both of these documents as organic and living documents that change as I grow as an artist.)
My Artist Statement
Every time I sit down to work with clay, I am amazed at how compelled I feel to create with my hands. I am enchanted with the process of using wet clay, creating the form, and then allowing it to dry in the air and transforming it with fire in the kiln - all the forces of our natural world used to create ceramics in an ancient process.
I am humbled to think that pottery connects and yet transcends time. It connects us to the past, as throughout history, humans have used essentially this same process to create their dinnerware, cookware, storage containers, and much more that they used daily. It grounds me in the present because I am so involved when I work, that time seems irrelevant. Knowing that archeologists have used chards of pottery to study the cultures of every ancient civilization gives me pause for a creative legacy beyond my time.
My work is an experience of exploration. I am continuously studying ceramic art - form and function manifesting into art. The process of making ceramics is about transformation – a process that compels clear intent, skillful forming and decorating, and ends with giving each piece over to the vacillating forces of air and fire that are produced in the kiln environment. These gifts of the kiln feed my sense of wonder and amazement. And I want it to always be that way!
The forms I am interested in making are strong and clean, functional forms. I believe that beautiful functional pieces invite the user/viewer to slow down and consider the piece as art – focusing on balance and form as well as the characteristics of size, shape, surface textures and colors. It is also my hope that each of my pieces can stand-alone as a focal point when used or displayed. I am continually curious about how people will use my work. I hope that it will provide many moments of joy for users as it has provided me.