CAREY NATHANSON, ceramics
Clay is a challenging medium to work in because of its fragility as a material and the hurdles that come on the path to successful firings. Also, there are an infinite number of avenues that come from adding chemistry to the making process. At the same time, the antiquity of the art form and its history rooted in practicality calm my psyche when dealing with the overwhelming number of possibilities and never ending experimentation that come from exploring it. Taking clay from the earth and firing it with wood can be pragmatic, but has the power to yield such multifaceted and dramatically beautiful results. All these factors make ceramic pieces uniquely special and the reward, especially in making larger and wood fired work, is amplified. I’m drawn to the struggle that comes with working in clay and the difficult task in finding peace in the process and the evolution of the work I’m making. I love the grind, navigating toward more defined goals creatively and trying to achieve them technically, and feel lucky spending my days building momentum over time in a discipline of this complex and demanding nature.
ABOUT CAREY
Carey Nathanson started working with clay during his high school years in his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina. Over the past three years, he’s split time between Japan and California working and studying as an assistant to woodfire potter John Dix in Kobe and also as a resident at the Flynn Creek Pottery under woodfire potter Nick Schwartz in Comptche, CA. This past winter, he was a visiting artist at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) in Pomona, CA, and is currently a resident artist at the Mendocino Art Center.
