-Did you always want to pursue a career in the arts?
“Well, my dad was an artist. So, I spent the first ten years of my life telling everybody I wasn’t going to be an artist. You know how that goes. Then, as time went on, it became very clear that that was what I wanted to, and should do. So that’s how it worked out.”
-Why clay?
“In 1959, right after graduating from college, I went to Japan. I lived there for five years, and that’s where I got involved in clay. I can’t say specifically what appealed to me about clay, it just felt right. I had done a bunch of painting and drawing, but I really wanted to occupy space with my work.”
-Tell us a little about your process.
“A lot of my process is very intuitive. I make a bunch of parts, not even necessarily thinking which parts are going to go with which thing. Dozens of parts. Enough for at least three pieces. Then, I hold them up and arrange them in different ways. All the while learning what feels right. What I mean by ‘right’ is the finding of a kind of balance between my own will and what the piece wants to be. I know that sounds corny, but I think it’s true for a lot of artists. Sometimes you just need to step back and let instinct takeover.”
-What does it feel like to have your first retrospective?
“Oh, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to seeing all that stuff laid out, to see what I can learn about myself by looking at all of it in one place. I’m eighty years old, and I’ve been creating for so long. It’s kind of exciting to be able to look at the whole basket full, so to speak, and see what I glean from it. I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to think or feel, and that’s fine. It brings me to a position that I’ve never been in before and that’s saying something when you’ve been around as long as I have.”
-What do you want people to take away from seeing your life’s work?
“I don’t particularly want to guide people in looking at my work. I want them to see it and experience it and take away what they will. If I’m able to communicate something that’s great. If not I’m okay with that too. I don’t discount anybody’s experience.”
