The audio file for this article was produced by the Ceramic Arts Network staff and not read by the author.
Ceramics Monthly: How do you develop the forms and surfaces that are prevalent in your work?
Ray Brown: I develop forms by sketching in an iterative process of breaking down proportions and playing within them. Generally, it involves a favorite pot, historical piece, architecture, or even fonts or calligraphy, tracing the image
onto paper and generating as many forms as I can within that shared set of proportions. In school, I had the opportunity to work with some incredible mentors and makers, each one influencing how I see and interpret form. Chris Gustin, during a critique
where I covered every available wall with drawings of pots, told me to “define the game you want to play and to play within it.” The drawings themselves defined the game of form that I wanted to play, and often I would explore further
by finding a few favorite iterations and changing those proportions. This process offered me a way to make more intentional and personal work while preventing thoughtless repetition. If progress was slow, I’d draw a few hundred more forms. The
iterative process continually reveals new work for me, a truly inexhaustible source to draw on. The surfaces developed in a similar way, slowly building up with research into underglaze, stamping, complimentary decals, and sandblasting effects
from graduate research. I was interested in layering, bright color, and a similar graphic quality and playfulness to the proportion drawings. Either with form or surface, I consistently look forward to the challenge of the game.
CM: What role does tactility play in your work?
RB: I’ve always loved working with my hands. I started college as an engineer and now work with clay in a similar manner. Currently, tactility plays an immediate role in how I make. It’s an open dialog between the maker and
the work, highlighting the best qualities of clay at each stage. I’m interested in contrasting a variety of clay qualities within a pot, allowing the soft curves of a form to coexist with harder edges. Each decision allows for more textural
and visual information in the work.
CM: Have your interests in working with clay evolved? What do you plan to explore next?
RB: Graduate school provided a rare opportunity to develop a foundation of skills and a baseline formal vocabulary. After graduation, my interest in working with clay has narrowed but broadened within the limitations I’ve set. A
new rule I’m trying out in my research is to look back at what I’ve already made to move forward. I’m trying to work through questions that I’ve bookmarked from three years of graduate research, as well as for the past few
months, and limit my exploration to mainly smaller objects. Do I have to make a handle for a mug, or can the focus shift to making a mug to highlight a specific handle? My curiosity to delve further into alternative processes, 3D printing, and mold
making, leading to more complex forms, is a goal I’m exploring next. I look forward to continuing my research, and the challenge clay provides.
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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: How do you develop the forms and surfaces that are prevalent in your work?
Ray Brown: I develop forms by sketching in an iterative process of breaking down proportions and playing within them. Generally, it involves a favorite pot, historical piece, architecture, or even fonts or calligraphy, tracing the image onto paper and generating as many forms as I can within that shared set of proportions. In school, I had the opportunity to work with some incredible mentors and makers, each one influencing how I see and interpret form. Chris Gustin, during a critique where I covered every available wall with drawings of pots, told me to “define the game you want to play and to play within it.” The drawings themselves defined the game of form that I wanted to play, and often I would explore further by finding a few favorite iterations and changing those proportions. This process offered me a way to make more intentional and personal work while preventing thoughtless repetition. If progress was slow, I’d draw a few hundred more forms. The iterative process continually reveals new work for me, a truly inexhaustible source to draw on. The surfaces developed in a similar way, slowly building up with research into underglaze, stamping, complimentary decals, and sandblasting effects from graduate research. I was interested in layering, bright color, and a similar graphic quality and playfulness to the proportion drawings. Either with form or surface, I consistently look forward to the challenge of the game.
CM: What role does tactility play in your work?
RB: I’ve always loved working with my hands. I started college as an engineer and now work with clay in a similar manner. Currently, tactility plays an immediate role in how I make. It’s an open dialog between the maker and the work, highlighting the best qualities of clay at each stage. I’m interested in contrasting a variety of clay qualities within a pot, allowing the soft curves of a form to coexist with harder edges. Each decision allows for more textural and visual information in the work.
CM: Have your interests in working with clay evolved? What do you plan to explore next?
RB: Graduate school provided a rare opportunity to develop a foundation of skills and a baseline formal vocabulary. After graduation, my interest in working with clay has narrowed but broadened within the limitations I’ve set. A new rule I’m trying out in my research is to look back at what I’ve already made to move forward. I’m trying to work through questions that I’ve bookmarked from three years of graduate research, as well as for the past few months, and limit my exploration to mainly smaller objects. Do I have to make a handle for a mug, or can the focus shift to making a mug to highlight a specific handle? My curiosity to delve further into alternative processes, 3D printing, and mold making, leading to more complex forms, is a goal I’m exploring next. I look forward to continuing my research, and the challenge clay provides.
Learn more at raybrownceramics.com.
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