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Michael Smith • Kansas City, MO • Stoneware
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For the past thirty years I have worked as a potter, producing a diverse line of functional stoneware and porcelain.
I started with a four year apprenticeship, the traditional method for learning the potter’s art. In that setting, I learned basic technique, discipline, endurance and the skills for making a living as a potter. |
Function is the starting point and context for my work. My best work is completed through the act of its use.
When I am throwing, marking or altering pots, the process becomes like a dance - listening to the music of the wheel, creating and interacting with the rhythms, dancing on the edge of collapse.
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When the last mark is made and the wheel stops, the pot, like a photograph, captures the dancer in motion.
I strive to keep the movement alive in my work - allowing it to evolve as I participate in its creation, never losing the delight in creating pots that bring pleasure to everyday experience. |
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