PATTERNS IN CLAY...
For this exhibit, FCAM museum collector and founder Kenneth Underwood has chosen pieces from his collection that incorporate pattern in their surface treatment. As in any media - with ceramics, whether carved or stamped, printed or painted, pattern is created by repetition. Take any shape - a line, a circle, a triangle, a leaf, a blob - shift it left or right, up or down, flip it vertically or horizontally, or rotate it endlessly, and you have created a pattern. Shift it then rotate it and you create a spiral. Think of wallpaper and how it is printed in endless rolls up and down and seam to seam, and you will understand how pattern is created.

Underwood explains... "When I looked over the pieces I selected for this exhibit, it struck me that they are mostly round; wheel thrown, coiled, or altered, they all started by creating a circular form. Potters develop their skills by throwing the same shapes over and over until they master the process. Some potters then create molds to cast copies of those perfect shapes. The potter's process is one of repetition and refinement. Each pot is the product of a pattern! But each pot is also unique because it is made by hand.

For so many potters to decorate their pots with patterns should be no surprise. It is part of their DNA".