The audio file for this article was produced by the Ceramic Arts Network staff and not read by the author.
Ceramics Monthly: What is the most valuable advice you’ve received as an artist?
Wesley Brown: In my final year of graduate school, I got some great advice. I was making larger and larger work, reading philosophy, and preparing for my defense with this really tight, very linear narrative in my work. It was so
linear that the work was becoming formulaic because I needed it to say something very specific with every visual element. It was visiting artist Bede Clarke who, when critiquing my pieces, said, “Let the work be the work.” He encouraged
me to drop the narrative and simply make the work without knowing where it would lead. My vision for the objects was so close handed that I couldn’t respond to new thoughts and avenues that only presented themselves in the making. That advice
changed the way that I made it and ultimately the trajectory of my work.
CM: What strategies have you developed to handle challenges you face, including setbacks in the studio or difficulties along the path to becoming an artist?
WB: I’ve always had this attitude that if I want something to happen, I need to make it happen. So, when there is something in the studio that I am not particularly good at, I do it over and over and over again. I heard a quote,
“The beginner does it until they get it right. The master does it until they can’t get it wrong.” And that really embodies my approach to gaining techniques and skills in making.
Along the path to becoming an artist, I have always taken myself seriously and tried to be confident. My time, skill, and effort are, for the most part, in my control, so I use them wisely and try not to squander a new opportunity. I work to be confident
in what I am doing and in how I talk about it. But I wouldn’t be so confident if I didn’t start with a strong work ethic.
CM: How do you come up with the forms or surfaces that are prevalent in your work?
WB: I came up with my particular style of combining wheel-thrown elements with heavily textured slabs after graduate school, where I made large handbuilt sculptures. I realized, after moving to a year-long residency
away from university funding, it was going to be rare to sell a 400-pound sculpture. So I took the heavy textures from my large sculptures and mated them to my first love in ceramics, pots. In the beginning, they were very blocky and crude, but
with time, I worked out a way to get a good push-and-pull relationship between the two elements with their very differently handled surfaces. I started in clay making pots, moved away into the land of sculpture to find what I was unable to say,
and have now returned to fuse the two types of making to create works that speak both languages. It wasn’t a straightforward path, but it was worth it.
We understand your email address is private. You will receive emails and newsletters from Ceramic Arts Network. We will never share your information except as outlined in our privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
You have read of of your complimentary articles for the month.
For unlimited access to Ceramics Monthly premium content, subscribe right now for as low as $4.85/month.
We understand your email address is private. You will receive emails and newsletters from Ceramic Arts Network. We will never share your information except as outlined in our privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Subscribe to Ceramics Monthly
The audio file for this article was produced by the Ceramic Arts Network staff and not read by the author.
Ceramics Monthly: What is the most valuable advice you’ve received as an artist?
Wesley Brown: In my final year of graduate school, I got some great advice. I was making larger and larger work, reading philosophy, and preparing for my defense with this really tight, very linear narrative in my work. It was so linear that the work was becoming formulaic because I needed it to say something very specific with every visual element. It was visiting artist Bede Clarke who, when critiquing my pieces, said, “Let the work be the work.” He encouraged me to drop the narrative and simply make the work without knowing where it would lead. My vision for the objects was so close handed that I couldn’t respond to new thoughts and avenues that only presented themselves in the making. That advice changed the way that I made it and ultimately the trajectory of my work.
CM: What strategies have you developed to handle challenges you face, including setbacks in the studio or difficulties along the path to becoming an artist?
WB: I’ve always had this attitude that if I want something to happen, I need to make it happen. So, when there is something in the studio that I am not particularly good at, I do it over and over and over again. I heard a quote, “The beginner does it until they get it right. The master does it until they can’t get it wrong.” And that really embodies my approach to gaining techniques and skills in making.
Along the path to becoming an artist, I have always taken myself seriously and tried to be confident. My time, skill, and effort are, for the most part, in my control, so I use them wisely and try not to squander a new opportunity. I work to be confident in what I am doing and in how I talk about it. But I wouldn’t be so confident if I didn’t start with a strong work ethic.
CM: How do you come up with the forms or surfaces that are prevalent in your work?
WB: I came up with my particular style of combining wheel-thrown elements with heavily textured slabs after graduate school, where I made large handbuilt sculptures. I realized, after moving to a year-long residency away from university funding, it was going to be rare to sell a 400-pound sculpture. So I took the heavy textures from my large sculptures and mated them to my first love in ceramics, pots. In the beginning, they were very blocky and crude, but with time, I worked out a way to get a good push-and-pull relationship between the two elements with their very differently handled surfaces. I started in clay making pots, moved away into the land of sculpture to find what I was unable to say, and have now returned to fuse the two types of making to create works that speak both languages. It wasn’t a straightforward path, but it was worth it.
Unfamiliar with any terms in this article? Browse our glossary of pottery terms!
Click the cover image to return to the Table of Contents