Reid Schoonover is a ceramic artist and mixed-media sculptor, living and working in
The work I produce is a conscious amalgam of a number of interests I have and an attempt to reconcile these interests in a contemporary way while at the same time re-enforcing history through art and craft. Also, I try to produce work that is easy to use, and live with and yet provides visual stimulation and aesthetic pleasure while encouraging a conceptual link to life and times long past.
I am fascinated by most things ancient and by life in ancient times in general, in particular the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages of Korea, China, Japan and Europe. I also have strong interests in architecture, design and our natural environment. I believe that these interests express themselves best through my mixed-media work. The materials I use continue to speak in a contemporary way about life and times past through compositional, visual and tactile aspects such as color, grain, pattern and texture. I see my work as art of today speaking as artifact of tomorrow, referencing historic times through both function and visual stimulation. Essentially I see myself as an object maker with some pieces having a specific use and others remaining intentionally mysterious.
I see myself primarily as a ceramic artist and mixed-media sculptor. With clay I work on the potter’s wheel as well as hand-build, and find the dichotomy between these two techniques both challenging and invigorating. The thrown work, somewhat understated in both form and decoration, closely represents my interests in ancient forms of containment, in the family, in ritual and in social structures in general. The purely hand-built sculptural pieces also reference historic times, but in a more subtle and contemporary way. The tools I use to work in wood often mirror in many ways both the wheel throwing and hand building with clay. I often work in series in clay, wood, metal and other materials, making a number of similar pieces. No two, though, are ever exactly alike. This work is often somewhat more detailed, but in very subtle ways. I believe it is here that the “joining” of my interests is most evident.
All ceramic work is fired in wood-fueled kilns exclusively. I particularly like the historic aspects and surface quality the work exhibits when fired in a kiln fueled by wood alone. It is here that I give up my ability to exert complete control of the final artistic process and allow the wood-fired kiln to exert its influences on the transformation of the work. Ultimately, the results are an unconscious amalgam of control and freedom from a partnership of artist and kiln.
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Please enjoy a look at Art Scoops #58. This edition of our long-running newsletter features Reid's work, in particular his gorgeous group of small lidded bottles.
We'll post future Art Scoops editions within several weeks of publication. To receive it sooner, hot off the presses, in time for sales alerts, and conveniently into your inbox, click here to subscribe.
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