Eric D Carlson

The physicality of my chosen material, ceramics, gives me a unique opportunity to directly record physical responses to the world. In combination with other materials such as: metal, wood, fiber, or combined with found objects, the action of making them becomes a link to my subject matter, where physical form becomes the by-product of internal emotion. The objects I create carry the enduring physical remnants of struggle and tension, just as our own bodies do. They are worn, cracked and damaged but still exude strength and the capacity to overcome adversity. As an artist my processes have grown out of a connection with my blue collar past. In doing so, I feel it honors the ideals of workmanship and craftsmanship that have become relegated to a second-class status. I gained respect for these processes through first hand accounts with a majority of my male and female role models. Workmanship and craftsmanship was their sole means of communication too the outside world as is mine.