Artist spotlight: Ryan Myers

Ryan Myers is a ceramic artist living in Madison, Wisconsin [with his studio in Fitchburg].

Artist statement [Excerpted from http://www.ryanmyersceramics.com/about/]

I was raised on cartoons and comic books, superheroes and villains. I grew up around Native American artifacts and American antiques. I learned to appreciate the intimate qualities of aged objects: the textures of rusty iron and crawling paint on old furniture, and even the musty smell of ripened books and magazines. Things that come with embedded narrative and a worn history have always surrounded me, and therefore, influence me. I am attracted to nostalgia and drawn to the curious — to something unusual but familiar — to something that creates a linkage across time. 

Contact information: 

Ryan Myers Ceramics facebook

@Ryanmyersceramics Instagram

All images copyright of the artist.

Artist Spotlight Diana Farfan

[Excerpted from the artist's website]

Diana is a full time artist and cultural agent. She was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. Her fondness for ceramic sculpture goes back to her childhood, when the pre-Columbian figures and colonial architecture were her focus of interest. In 1999 she received a BFA in Ceramics and Printmaking at Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia; and in 2010 she obtained a MFA in Ceramics and Sculpture at University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA. She also studied at the University of Anchorage, Alaska, and at the Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan as exchange student. She currently lives, works, and teaches in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. Besides offering, “Play with Clay” classes at her own studio and workshops at diverse art centers; Diana is an art coach for Hispano-Latino Artists. She serves as member of the board of directors of Palmetto Luna Arts, a non-profit that promotes Hispano artists and Latin Culture in South Carolina, USA.

Sample images of artist work [copyright of the artist. Used here for educational purposes]

Tom Bartel Ceramics

Artist spotlight

http://tombartel.net/

 

Tom Bartel is currently an Associate Professor and Ceramics Chairperson at Ohio University in Athens, Oh. He received his BFA from Kent State University and his MFA from Indiana University-Bloomington.

Bartel’s ceramic pieces focus on the human form to address some of life’s hard questions about the human condition. He states he is “interested in both the fragmentation and simplification of human form, especially how this decision encourages, if not requires, the viewer to participate with the work”.

His unique surface designs and texture are as important as the forms themselves. His artist statement continues by stating “The concepts of mask, identity, disguise, and transformation are fundamental to my concerns. Throughout our life our appearance slowly and inevitably changes; in the process our skin records this story”.

The work is very quirky, unexpected, carnival-esque and marvelously interesting to investigate. Every piece tells a story. Here are a few examples. Please visit his website listed above to learn more about Bartel’s work.(All images are used by permission of the artist and are copyrighted to Tom Bartel)