Which State of Clay Are You Now?

ODU Associate Professor and artist Richard Nickel has recently published a comic that relates teh states of clay to the human condition.

The comic, which was published in Studio Potter, a publication dedicated to "discussion of technology, criticism, aesthetics, and history within the ceramics community" is titled "Which State of Clay Are You Now?"

About the work, Nickel says:

"As a ceramics teacher I have seen people connect to material like paint or clay because some how they relate to the process or material they are using on a personal level.

I think understanding how clay works helps potters understand the changes in life and how sometimes we are soft and pliable, sometimes we are ready to build like leather hard clay and there are always moments when we are fragile and easily broken like bone dry clay and ready for the next change.

In ceramics we understand that these are the transitions our pots go through its the perilous journey from soft clay to shining glazed work every potter strives for. I see this transition in ceramics as an analogy for the human condition. By looking at these clay stages we can all see how what we become takes time and care."