(R:W Crater Bowl. Reduction Fired Stoneware, 20x17x9”)
While patrolling the local artist cooperatives for makers to feature in this series, the ceramic pottery of Annie Dyer jumped out as a perfect fit as it clearly embodies elements of both art and craft. The “About” section of Dyer’s website speaks to these complementary elements through the very language used to describe her work. It reads, “Annie Dyer Pottery is your source for one of a kind finely crafted ceramic art. Whether you are looking for a centerpiece for your dining room table, a special accent for your kitchen decor or a usable baking dish we have it all” (anniedyer.com). Words like “one-of-a-kind” and “centerpiece” evoke ideas of fine art, that which is non-replicable and a point of intentional focus in its display, while words like “finely crafted” and “usable” recall the work of artisans, that which is reproducible and functional.
Dyer’s capacity to superbly marry the elements of art and craft has been honed over nearly three decades. Her early 1990’s apprenticeship in Japan with Master Ceramicist Asako Watanabe particularly contributed to this refinement as she learned a great deal about “aesthetics and developing the patience to create elegant pottery forms” (anniedyer.com). The aesthetic qualities of Annie’s work, whether hand-formed or thrown on a wheel, derive its inspiration from nature as she incorporates natural textures through impressing objects into the wet clay and utilizes line as a design element both classic and timeless. In her own words, Dyer’s pottery draws together “the smooth, rich surfaces of glazed and finished clay with the raw richness of nature” (anniedyer.com).
The following interview offers Dyer’s reflections upon the art and craft distinction with respect to her work.
ME: Describe your art/craft.
ANNIE: I am a potter. My work consists of traditional forms modified by nature-inspired impressions and additions. Pieces are thrown on the potter’s wheel or hand built, then altered while still wet in an attempt to capture the softness of the clay in the finished work. After firing and transforming the clay to stone, that softness can still be seen. The color is rich and smooth in contrast to the unglazed organic texture.
ME: This contrast you speak of is a quality that immediately attracted my attention to your work. It seems a metaphor for nature herself as both tranquil and turbulent, refined and rough.
Do you consider your work art or craft?
ANNIE: One of Merriam Webster‘s definitions of craft is: “to make or produce with care, skill or ingenuity.” So I suppose by definition my work is craft. It is created by taking a material and using a learned process to thoughtfully produce something new.
It is utilitarian. As humans, we inherently define ourselves by what we do. As potters, what we do with clay identifies who we are. Clay is a medium in which there is no separation between artist and material, in contrast to painting, for example, where there is a brush between the painter and the canvas or to photography where there is a camera between photographer and subject. The intimacy with the clay is evident as every movement made by the potter is registered by the clay. Certainly over time there can be a repetitiveness in making ceramics, but invariably a kind of magic happens when something suddenly wells up from deep inside that transforms that simple mound of clay into something that’s wonderful and has never before existed.
There’s a body memory that is present that comes through in the final piece, the “maker’s presence” that never entirely leaves the piece. Therein lies the crossover between art and craft in my work: Art in the ability to recognize a concept or emotion and convey it deliberately and directly into the material in order to evoke a connection or feeling, and Craft as the attention to detail that comes through an accumulation of knowledge and skills. My hope is that the user of an object that I’ve crafted by hand can garner some of the feeling that’s been infused into the piece.
ME: I’m quite confident that proud owners of your work immediately identify both the beauty and skill invested in each piece; it’s quite likely what draws them to your pottery in the first place. Plus, and as you eloquently stated, there is something about immediacy and the lack of mediation between maker and material that invests your forms and that of others with a certain quality that doesn’t feel overworked or excessively planned. It’s not about spontaneity per se but perhaps more about directness that is appealing.
How does your work address artistic concerns, like those that a painter or sculptor considers (form, composition, color, value, texture)?
ANNIE: I begin by thinking of an item that has a specific use in mind, for example, something to hold tea or to serve appetizers with. Once that’s decided the basic form is made. Then, like a sculptor, I search for ways to alter the piece, taking something that’s very simple and transforming it into something unique and expressive of my love of nature. I imagine a particular pattern that I’ve seen while riding my bike, hiking or running that’s the launch point for the magic. This “being in the moment” and allowing energy to flow through is meditative, almost like a dance. Sometimes it’s exactly like a dance. There’s sticks and stones that are the “bones” of the alteration, then slashing and pressing and sculpting this ‘mud’; it’s kind of primitive and wild! There’s a definite dynamic to it that’s hard to describe. Once that’s finished the piece dries, is fired and then glazed. The colors are vivid yet simple, and are chosen to enhance, not compete, with the textures that are left unglazed. That contrast alone adds special interest to my work.
ME: This idea of “being in the moment” and your earlier description of “body memory” call to mind the concepts of “Zen” and “embodied practice,” which, in my mind, harken back to your apprenticeship with the Japanese Master Ceramicist. There is a fascinating book titled Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel, a German philosophy professor, in which, based on his studies in Japan, he describes the archer, the arrow and the target becoming one. The arrow is released effortlessly in a state of “no mind,” and this effortlessness comes through years of dedicated practice and a certain letting go, exactly how you describe your current practice. It’s absolutely fascinating!
What is your opinion on the art/craft dyad?
ANNIE: I think it’s an interesting conversation, but in the end I think they fundamentally have shared traits. Most art has an element of craft in that it requires a combination of skill, technique and storytelling. And craft has elements of art. Anytime a piece that was made by the hand of an artist can evoke an emotion such as joy or comfort, there is a communion between the maker and the user of that object. THAT to me is the art of craft.
ME: Well, you certainly know how to commune not only with the materials you use, but also with your audience, admirers and owners of your exquisite pottery! Thank you very much, Annie, for this enlightening interview.
To view the stunning ceramic pottery of Annie Dyer, please visit the Red Chair Gallery in Bend (redchairgallerybend.com), the Hood Avenue Art Gallery in Sisters (hoodavenueart.com) or her website at anniedyer.com.