Ceramic Arts Daily

There are about as many ways to make a living as a ceramic sculptor as there are people attempting it. Mark Chatterley makes his living making large-scale figurative ceramics. Today, in an excerpt from Ceramic Sculpture: Inspiring Techniques, he shares his advice and experience on balancing life and work, promoting and selling, as well as his aesthetic perspectives. He also takes us through the process he uses to make his large-scale sculptures.

So read on and learn about Mark Chatterley’s ceramic figure building and everyday studio practices. - Jennifer Harnetty, editor.

This article is included in Contemporary Clay Sculpture: A Collection of Four of Our Favorite Articles on Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture, which is free to Ceramic Arts Daily Subscribers.

The “Making a Living” Part
Although neither marketing nor selling my work are very high on my list of favorite things to do, both are necessary evils and must be considered. The economy is down and people are concerned with their 401k plans. Art is not on the average person’s mind when they are worried about paying the mortgage. So I am looking for the not-so-average buyer, people who want art either for an investment or as an enhancement to their quality of life. I work with sixteen or so galleries around the country that hopefully have access to this ideal art collector.

I also like to read books outside of the art field for inspiration, including quantum physics, psychology, string theory, shamanism and Kama Sutra. Then I try to figure out how conceptual ideas can be translated into clay forms.

I also have a small group of friends that I can bounce ideas off of. We meet once a month for a show and discuss what we are working on. Mostly, inspiration comes down to going into the studio everyday and trying to figure out what I can do that is new but won’t be too weird or different from my previous work so that I will lose my collectors. Maybe that is what it means to be old school, stuck in a style that is recognized as mine and being financially fearful of branching out.

The one advertising class I took in college droned on about name recognition. I realized that it is a way to get work out into the marketplace and try to elevate prices. For each show I do, the gallery provides a press release of my artist statement and photos to the local papers that sometimes lead into featured stories. I also split ads with the galleries in national art magazines. In addition to building name recognition, I try to attract attention to a specific piece.

Being a ceramic sculptor, the physical aspect of working large becomes an issue. The older I get, the larger and heavier the work seams to get. I keep threatening to become a jeweler when I grow up. Until that happens, I go to the gym 3 days a week for an hour of weight training followed by an hour of aerobics. I try to maintain my strength so I can move my own work around. When I do a show I drive a body of work in my own van, which can hold 2 tons, rather then making crates for each piece. Unloading and placing the work can get physical, especially if stairs are involved. I find myself shying away from shows if I have to walk the work up stairs. I imagine someday I might have to hire assistants or get a fork lift to move the work around, but until then, I think of it as a free work out.

Process
I work with slabs of clay on a scale that goes beyond most thrown work. But the forms are constructed as if they were pots. To make large human figures, I start by manipulating a slab about 8 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. I keep the walls an even thickness throughout, as in a well-thrown pot. I cover the lip of the piece with a 4-inch-wide piece of plastic and allow it to dry overnight. The next day, I add 8 more inches and repeat the plastic-on-the-lip process, allowing the rest to dry. This is continued until I reach the top. On a 7- or 8-foot piece, the bottom of the sculpture is bone dry, but the top is wet and workable. The problem with this procedure, of course, is I can’t work on the bottom once I hit the top, so I do a lot of planning and many drawings beforehand to minimize surprises.

Firing is in a 700-cubic-foot down­draft kiln that I built. I can place more than 14 life-size figures upright in the kiln and there is still room for shelves. Because the kiln holds so much work, there are usually 3 months between firings. Each piece is fired 2 to 3 times: the bisque is to cone 07, taking 3 days to fire off; and the glaze to cone 6, taking 2 days to fire off.

I apply the glazes with big ugly brushes, flinging them everywhere in a painterly frenzy. After the glaze firing, some pieces need a little more interest, so I add Egyptian paste and fire to cone 07. This allows a multilayered surface with minimal firings.

Survival in the art world is an ongoing struggle. Creative change and personal growth keep it interesting.

Where to See More:

www.chatterley.com

Goldesberry Gallery,
Houston, TX
www.goldesberrygallery.com

Longstreth Goldberg Art,
Naples, FL
www.plgart.com

Next Step Studios,
Ferndale, MI
www.nextstepstudio.com

Sculpturesite Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
www.sculpturesite.com

Summerhill Gallery,
Durham, NC
www.summerhill.com

Tory Folliard Gallery,
Milwaukee, WI
www.toryfolliard.com