Artist Chris Kelsey

Chris Kelsey on the Ceramic Artists Who Inspire Him

While Chris doesn’t have a "favorite" ceramic artist, there are three he holds in high regard:

Robert Sperry: (1927-1998) Sperry taught in Seattle and was married to Patti Warashina (born 1940), who is also a ceramic artist. Chris has a significant collection of Sperry’s work and highlighted Sperry's influence from the Japanese style. (After some research, I found Sperry to be a multifaceted artist who even ventured into filmmaking, winning an award for one of his movies.) Sperry was known for his wall panel work. More on Sperry.
Josh Deweese: (Born in 1963) Deweese is a remarkable ceramic artist associated with the Archie Bray Foundation. He creates pottery and gives them his individual flair. Where Sperry art is refined, formal, clean, and crisp, Deweese will take a beautiful shape and edits the piece to loosen it up such as adding flowy and curvy handles. Explore Deweese's creations.
Reid Ozaki: A ceramic artist and a friend of Chris. Ozaki does thrown pieces but you often can’t tell they are thrown. He will throw a piece and manipulate it into something else. Chris notes he uses a beautiful black glaze in some of his work. Check out his instagram.

Diving Into Chris's Work

Chris’s creations are deeply influenced by sculpture. In fact, during his undergraduate years, he studied both photography and sculpture. His journey into ceramics began with a class aimed at incorporating clay into his sculptures.

Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro's (born 1926) angular and modern bronze works inspire Chris. He likens Pomodoro’s pieces to a "modern eroded computer."

Additionally, the large, textured, and powerful wooden sculptures by Ursula von Rydingsvard (born 1942) have also inspired Chris.

Though initially indifferent to functional pieces, Chris's evolution saw him embracing pottery wheels and producing both sculptural and functional items. Chris often uses soda firing for his pieces. When I inquired about glazing these soda-fired pieces, he mentioned that while he does glaze some, he ideally wouldn't. For functional items like cups, he ensures the interior is glazed.

An impressive feat of Chris's is the Kurorukamegama wood kiln he built. The name, when broken down, means "crawling" (Kuroru), "turtle" (kame), and "kiln" (gama). This kiln, resembling a turtle, was largely a personal project, though Chris did receive some assistance. Delving into the nuances of wood firing, Chris shared that the Japanese have terminology for every outcome within the kiln. For example, pieces closer to the firebox acquire more ash glaze than those placed further away, but both are equally cherished.

Lastly, our conversation turned to the distinct handles on Chris's pieces. Some are slender and elongated, while others flaunt flat surfaces. Chris revealed that Etruscan ware pottery, which, when fired, turns into glossy shades of black or red, inspired some of these designs. He fondly termed some of his handles "lobes" and believes they draw inspiration from the Etruscan ware.

Chris said that uses surform tools in his slabform work. He uses this tool to edit his handles. He likes flat planes and crisp edges. He does not like spines on handles and thinks they are uncomfortable when holding. He uses his tools to make them what he considers comfortable.