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: Thaddeus Erdhal

Artist website:  http://www.thaddeuserdahl.com/

Bio [excerpted from artist website here]

Thaddeus Erdahl was born and raised in La Porte City, Iowa. He has exhibited his sculpture and presented workshops regionally and nationally throughout the United States.

His art and background in education started at the University of Northern Iowa where he received his BA in Art Education and a BFA in Ceramics. Upon graduation, he substitute taught in the public school system, instructed ceramics courses at a local art center and served as an interim art educator. Thaddeus actively practiced and taught a variety of art media including ceramics, drawing, assemblage, sculpture, painting, and graphic design.

Thaddeus received his MFA in Ceramics from the University of Florida where he was a University of Florida Alumni Fellowship recipient during his three years of graduate study, from 2006-2009.

Statement

“When considering the murky reservoir of human history, it is difficult to separate legend from reality. Through my work, I examine human myth in the modern age, specifically on characters that emerge from our society's underbelly; the less popular folk. Using their "legends", I feel compelled to tell stories that illustrate analogies in life; blending together archetypes, shared experiences, and my own personal mythology. Who we are in the world is a kaleidoscope of interpretations, biased memories, and personal connections” (Erdhal).

Work [all images are copyright of the artist and may not be reproduced without permission].

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)