Artist Statement
I have been working in stoneware and porcelain for over 30 years, striving to explore the infinite possibilities presented by clay, producing work that ranges from functional ware for daily use to sculptural, nonfunctional pieces.

In 1973, after a two-year internship at Pottery Northwest in Seattle, my wife Cynthia and I purchased an 1870's Victorian Stick-style home, which we have lovingly restored. My studio is in the old barn behind the house. We live in an historic country village near the Adirondacks of northern New York State, where my family and I enjoy canoeing, backpacking, hiking, fly fishing, and cross-country skiing.

The sights, textures, and rhythms of the natural world in our garden, in the woods near our home, and in the Adirondack wilderness shape the way I think about my work. I find insights in design, glazing, and surface decoration from Japanese folk pottery, which is the major influence on my work, and from 19th-century American salt glazed pottery. I mix my own clay and glazes and build and repair my kilns, because I believe that masterly of every aspect of ceramics, from raw materials to finished pieces, is essential to being a clay artist. My college degree in geology gives me an understanding of the origins and properties of the powdered clays, rocks, and minerals I use in my clay and glaze recipes.

I fire my work to cone 11 (2300° F) in a 45 cubic foot down-draft gas kiln. I like high temperature reduction firing because I never have complete control of how the flame affects the pieces. There is always an element of mystery. When I open the kiln, there will be surprising discoveries.

www.artbairdpottery.com

Holland Patent, NY

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