“So I’ve Had Some Time to Think About What You Said…”
5.5” x 3” Δ6 stoneware and porcelain
Wheel thrown and hand built
Sometimes when I tell people what I do, they say, “Dude. Make me an ashtray,” as though making just an ashtray is the culmination of the skill I have developed working in clay for decades. It chafes a little bit, but not everyone knows how difficult understanding the complexities of this medium can be. You have to meet people where they are.
I decided to address the “ashtray problem” in a way that— true to my process of incorporating a ridiculous amount of steps—WOULD actually demonstrate the culmination of the skill I have developed from so many years working in ceramics.
Every single thing you see in this photo, save for the backdrop paper, is made from clay.
Leave me a comment relating the story you think it’s telling, or whether or not you think it’s “just an ashtray.”
#cigarette#cigarettesandcoffee#ashtrays#buttout#weneedtotalk#originalartwork#handmade#midfire#amacovelvetunderglaze#ceramics#conesix
“Butt” 1.25” x .5” Δ6 stoneware
Handbuilt
Did you know cigarette filters look like this to mimic the cork that used to be used as a filter?
#butt#cigarette#filter#tinyart#buttout
“Bobaaa Tumblers” 6” x 3.25” Δ6 stoneware
Wheel thrown, hand painted, overglaze decal
Sometimes I make functional ware. I don’t throw very often but I do enjoy it. To make these Bobaaa tumblers, I bought some bamboo lids and measured the inside diameter. Then I increased that number to account for the clay’s shrinkage.
Then I designed a big round goofy sheep logo and sent it off to a custom decal printer.
Then I threw a bunch of tumblers and hand painted the milk color, then hand painted each boba pearl and fired to Δ04. Then I waxed each boba pearl and added a little ring of diluted color to make it look like the pearls are dissolving a bit. Then I fired to Δ06 to burn off the wax and set the last layer of color. Then I glaze fired to Δ6.
Then I applied the decals and did the decal firing.
Now everything I drink looks like Bobaaa Tea to the casual observer!
#bobatea#handmadetumblers#wheelthrowntumbler#ceramictravelcup#roundsheep#bobaaa#originalartwork
“Cattelan Banana 2” 8.5” x 3.35” x 1.25” Δ6 stoneware and gold luster
Slip cast, hand painted
In 2016, Cattelan installed his 18-karat solid gold, fully functional replica of a standard Kohler toilet, called “America” in a small bathroom at the Guggenheim in New York City.
Upon installation, Cattelan said, “I’m happy because it’s not on a pedestal, it’s not in a gallery. It’s in a little room, just waiting for you whenever you need it. When I saw it in there the other day for the first time, I cried. Well, almost.” He sees a certain democratic appeal in the work, as it causes the user to realize that “Whatever you eat, a two-hundred-dollar lunch or a two-dollar hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise.” —theartstory.org
In 2019, while on loan to Blenheim Palace from the Guggenheim, America was stolen. Fully installed into the palace’s plumbing, the theft of the 55 pound toilet caused considerable damage from the flooding.
The BBC reported in November, 2023, four men have been charged in the theft but the toilet remains missing.
In a statement, Cattelan said: “When this morning I was informed about the robbery I thought it was a prank and it took me a while, after a few checks, to come to the conclusion that it was true and it wasn’t a surreal movie where instead of the jewels of the crown, the thieves went away with a bullshit toilet.
“I always liked heist movies and finally I’m in one of them.”
“Barnett Newman Banana” 8.75” x 1.5” Δ6 stoneware
Slip cast, hand painted
Barnett Newman (American, 1905-1970)
Was he an abstract expressionist or a color field painter? Yes. He was just doing his thing. And then he tried other things. And then he lamented about all the things he had tried and then he painted Onement 1. Then he destroyed everything he had made prior to Onement because the “zip” of color was now his thing.
Newman was a philosopher and had tried for a long time to reconcile his philosophy with his painting. In his essay “The First Man Was an Artist,” he argued man is predisposed to primal expression—it’s the birthright of humans—with the creation of functional things coming in second. His vertical zips both divided and unified his paintings, a visual translation of that primal need.
#barnettnewman#abstractexpressionism#colorfield#zip#ceramicfood#ceramicbanana
“Cattelan Banana 1” 7.5” x 7” Δ6 stoneware
Slip cast, hand built, hand painted
Maurizio Cattelan (Italian, 1960–) Reluctantly called an artist-provocateur, Cattelan runs around goading people’s sensibilities.
“The Art Basel born banana wasn’t just created to turn people against the art world, but evolved from inspiration. Cattelan was thinking of creating a sculpture shaped like a banana and every time he travelled, he bought a banana with him for inspiration. He hung the banana proudly in his different rooms, creating several models (first resin, then in bronze and in painted bronze) before finally coming back to the original banana – a real one.“ —Jemma Amos, Art de Vivre, June 01, 2023
I, too, carry a banana for inspiration. Siamo uguali, Maurizio. Siamo uguali. 😘
#ceramicbanana#artbaselbanana#mauriziocattelan#unrequitedlove#ceramicfood#bananaislife
“Toulouse-Lautrec Banana” 4.5” x 1.25” Δ6 stoneware
Slip cast, hand painted
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (French, 1864-1901) was born into the aristocracy. He broke both his legs as a teenager and didn’t really grow after that. (It’s probable he had a genetic disease such as Osteogenesis imperfecta.)This pretty much ousted him from the French aristocratic dating pool, so he started hanging out in brothels and nightclubs where he quickly realized booze and women were far superior ways to while away the hours than showing off his mad minuet skills at the Comte’s balls.
He is renowned for the posters he created for Paris nightclubs but was also known for his diminutive stature and his appetite for absinthe. The blackout-inducing cocktail known as The Earthquake is widely attributed to him. Mix equal parts absinthe and cognac & serve neat in a wine glass.
#cocktailrecipes#touloselautrec#shortpeople#mulanrouge#ceramicbanana#musa
“Mondrian Banana” 8.75” x 1.5” Δ6 stoneware
Slip cast, hand painted
Piet Mondrian (Dutch, 1872-1944), together with his pal Theo, founded De Stijl in 1917. They had t-squares and they knew how to use them. Piet and Theo friend broke-up after Theo went rogue and started using diagonal lines.
Process videos are very difficult for me to make. Steps not shown: banana cast and painted like a banana then fired, then painted maybe how Piet Mondrian would paint a banana. DM me if you’d like help adding 300 more steps to YOUR process!
I really love Maurizio Cattelan. Like, a lot. So I immortalized “Comedian” in clay. This one won’t attract fruit flies, but the tape might break some day… like my heart… because I love him so much. #mauriziocattelan#claybanana#ceramicfood
