The audio file for this article was produced by the Ceramic Arts Network staff and not read by the author.
Ceramics Monthly: What topics are central to your work and/or research as an artist and why?
Nicole McLaughlin: My research and work are deeply rooted in my desire to capture the vibrancy of the Mexican landscape and culture that shape my perspective of the world. Topics such as cultural inheritance, preservation of traditional
crafts in a contemporary space, and identity are central to my work as an artist. The exploration of these topics serves as an expression of my personal experience and femininity, as well as provides an opportunity to become more deeply connected
with my culture and allows me to gain a better understanding of myself and my blended identity.
CM: How do you approach incorporating experimentation into your studio practice?
NM: My studio practice engages in experimentation through the manipulation of traditional processes and materials. Taking a traditional process like majolica, which has such cultural and historical significance, not only in ceramics but
in Mexico, and over-firing the material to create fluid surfaces enables me to use the material and its traditional patterns as a tool of expression for the concepts at play within my work. Pulling traditional processes and materials from both ceramics
and fiber into a contemporary space allows me to engage in the preservation of craft in a very unique and fulfilling way.
CM: What is the most valuable advice you’ve received as an artist?
NM: The piece of advice that resurfaces for me time and time again comes from a t-shirt I was given when I started at the Kansas City Art Institute. There was a quote from former professor, George Timock, on the back that read, “Are
you playing it safe?” This question has stuck with me as I have moved through the many stages of my studio practice and serves as a reminder to be brave in every decision I make in my studio and in my life. Granting myself the courage to fail
has proven to result in new opportunities or allowed me to see something in a new light and pursue it.
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The audio file for this article was produced by the Ceramic Arts Network staff and not read by the author.
Ceramics Monthly: What topics are central to your work and/or research as an artist and why?
Nicole McLaughlin: My research and work are deeply rooted in my desire to capture the vibrancy of the Mexican landscape and culture that shape my perspective of the world. Topics such as cultural inheritance, preservation of traditional crafts in a contemporary space, and identity are central to my work as an artist. The exploration of these topics serves as an expression of my personal experience and femininity, as well as provides an opportunity to become more deeply connected with my culture and allows me to gain a better understanding of myself and my blended identity.
CM: How do you approach incorporating experimentation into your studio practice?
NM: My studio practice engages in experimentation through the manipulation of traditional processes and materials. Taking a traditional process like majolica, which has such cultural and historical significance, not only in ceramics but in Mexico, and over-firing the material to create fluid surfaces enables me to use the material and its traditional patterns as a tool of expression for the concepts at play within my work. Pulling traditional processes and materials from both ceramics and fiber into a contemporary space allows me to engage in the preservation of craft in a very unique and fulfilling way.
CM: What is the most valuable advice you’ve received as an artist?
NM: The piece of advice that resurfaces for me time and time again comes from a t-shirt I was given when I started at the Kansas City Art Institute. There was a quote from former professor, George Timock, on the back that read, “Are you playing it safe?” This question has stuck with me as I have moved through the many stages of my studio practice and serves as a reminder to be brave in every decision I make in my studio and in my life. Granting myself the courage to fail has proven to result in new opportunities or allowed me to see something in a new light and pursue it.
Learn more at www.nicoleamclaughlin.com.
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