This month Plinth Gallery Artist interview is with Hayne Bayless. Hayne is a hand-builder extraordinaire! Bayless constructs his work from slabs of clay and exploits the use of the extruder tool. A master of this forming device, he is able to construct intricate and elaborate shapes that so often defy ceramic convention. His show opens Friday, May 1 at Plinth Gallery in Denver.

Hayne’s website: www.sidewaysstudio.com

Plinth Gallery: http://plinthgallery.com/

How did you become an artist?

After spending 10 years working for a newspaper I was ready to do something else. I’d had a serious fling with clay in high school and a year or two following, but I got distracted and went on to get a degree in journalism. The news business was beginning its downward spiral in the late 80s and by ’92 I thought I’d like to go back to my first love. I quit my job and started making pots.

What was it that made you want to start creating? Did something specific trigger it?

I think I’ve always felt the need to make things.

What is your inspiration for your pieces?

Contemporary studio work, old Japanese pottery, modern Japanese printmaking, colonial silver and pewter, Asian stenciled fabrics.

What keeps you motivated?

In some sense I guess it’s knowing that there will never be enough time to make all the things I’d like to make.

How would you describe your style? One of the hardest things for artists to do is to stand apart from everyone else. How long did it take you to come up with your own style and signature look?

I want my work to look old and new at the same time. I hope it’s both traditional and fresh. I want to put a new spin on ancient forms and themes. The style wasn’t something I consciously pursued, it pretty much came about on its own. I think it’s something that has to evolve naturally, organically. It’s a tough thing, but I don’t think it’s something you can force or try to make happen. It just does.

Are you a full-time artist? How do you come up with your creations? Can you walk us through your creative process when dreaming up new pieces?

Yes, full time. I’ve learned that keeping a sketchbook close is important. Ideas for new forms and techniques usually come up from my subconscious at odd times and if I don’t write them down immediately it’s like trying to remember a dream.

How do you maintain a healthy work and life balance?

I’m not sure I do. But I’m not a workaholic. If I can take time off from clay I do, otherwise I’m in the studio. I can only say I feel fortunate to be as busy as I am.

You, like most people enjoy the process of making and crafting and didn’t get into it for the sake of “business”. But eventually you found yourself having to make the transition from crafter to a businessperson. What have you learned so far and what advice can you give others in the same situation?

I have yet to make the transition to businessperson. It might not ever happen. There is, of course, a certain amount of office time that’s necessary, otherwise things would come to a grinding halt. But I hate it and put it off as long as possible, sometimes longer.

What advice can you give aspiring artists struggling to find their own voice and look?

I think struggling is perhaps the wrong approach. My advice, for what it’s worth, would be to make things that make you happy and try to understand why they make you happy. Try not to worry about what sells or doesn’t, or what other people are doing or not doing. Be fearless. Someone wiser than me said something like, “If you’re afraid of being wrong, you’ll never do anything original.”

Thanks Hayne for your words of wisdom!

This year I was able to take my students the Wyoming State High School Art Symposium, this is the first time in five years I was able to take my kids.  In the past I was the Congressional Art Award Chairman for the state and had to ask my dear co-workers to my students.  

The Wyoming State Art Symposium, in its 42 year, is the largest of its kind in the United States and takes place at the Casper Events Center.  It’s a three day event for High School students; we take the ninth graders who are in third year art classes up for the day.

The Symposium features 4,000 pieces of student art by 1,500 high school art students from 48 high schools. Every high school in the state sends students and artwork.  No other state dreams of doing what we do.  It’s more like an athletic event, the students can’t put up their artwork until a designated time, and then it’s all out chaos.  Space is first-come, first served. The students are told to find a bright space as close to eye level as possible — but every other art teacher tells their students to do the same.  Just imagine a bunch of teenager, starting the Boston marathon, but in this scenario they are scrambling around the event center clutching artwork.   Then two and half days later it all comes down, in almost the same manner, as a teacher you hope you’re bring everything home with you. 

Students will get to participate in organized art competitions, workshops and demonstrations throughout the weekend.   Also, seniors interview with colleges and compete for scholarships, go to workshops about how to present their portfolios.  There is also a huge banquet for all the students, and a dance.  The kids get many opportunities to meet other students from around the state, and have a great time. 

For the five years I ran the Congressional Art Award for Wyoming, so I was at Symposium for the entire time.  I worked with the Representatives office and the Symposium committee.  I asked three art professionals to be jurors, to pick 25 pieces of two-dimensional artwork, out of the 4000 submitted, and then the Wyoming Representative, with the jurors picked one artwork to go to Washington D.C. to represent the best of Wyoming’s art students. 

Although I missed doing it this year, I was glad not to be away from my son, Vander. 

I’ve donated this bowl to Anderson Ranch Art Center for their 30^th Annual Art Auction to held on Saturday August 14.  More than 200 works of art will be auctioned live and silently.  My bowl is one of the silent ones.  I thrilled to be in the same show as Cindy Sherman, Damien Hirst, and Adam Fuss.  (Can I say that?  Even those these guys are in the live auction and I’m in the silent auction, that I’m in a show with them?)  You can preview the works starting August 3, in the galleries there at AR.  ….Soooo, if you are in Snowmass, Colorado stop in and see some amazing artwork.   

The money raised goes toward the educational programs at the Ranch.  If you haven’t been to Anderson Ranch is well worth your time and money.  I love it there.  I’ve taken many workshops and taught a few kids workshops there.  The Ranch has been so generous to me, and given me many scholarships, and I’ve learned so much there.  I’m so pleased that I can give back to them. 

I have also donated a small bowl to The Nicolaysen Art Museum and Discovery Center to their fund raising event, Sensational Small Stuff Invitational, April 15-April 23.   The Nic’s show all works have to be approximately 5” x 7”.  It’s a fun show and always great to see what gets donated.  Auction night is April 23, make your way over to Casper, Wyoming and buy some Sensational Small Stuff. 

While I was in Philadelphia having a wonderful time at NCECA, I received another email from the DIA folks, asking me to do another huge commission.  This one is even bigger than the last one, 43 pots, four vessels and 39 bowls.  Here is my start on the commission; the bigger vessel is going to Mayor Hickenlooper of Denver.  The three smaller ones are going to the President & CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the President & CEO of Visit Denver and the Denver City Council members!!!  I’m thrilled to be part of their gift giving.

I am really glad that I am once again amongst the living.  I have just went through five horrible days with stomach flu.  Just before I got sick I loaded a kiln with a glaze load and didn’t open the kiln to see how things turned out.  I have never done that before, I’m usually so excited to see how my pots came out I’m checking the temperature every half an hour so I can open it.  When I finally came out of my fog, I went down to check out my kiln and it was 58 degrees, four days after it went off.   I’m going to try to take pictures tonight, and post them tomorrow.

Today’s interview is with Kurt Anderson. He has something in common with Jackson Pollack. Both Anderson and Pollock have roots in Wyoming, and then got the hell out. I think due to the lack of startled wildlife in both of their subject matter, they sensed that an art career in the Cowboy State was out. Kurt, with this Wyoming legacy I expect big things out of you; a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art… perhaps.
I think it’s so amazing when an artist from Wyoming, or has roots in Wyoming, starts to get recognized. I ran into Kurt at NCECA and he told me that if he can he would love to come back to Wyoming. I hope it happens, we would all benefit. With that said enjoy reading Kurt’s interview.

Kurt’s email: kurtcharlesanderson@yahoo.com

You can find Kurt’s work at: AkarDesign and at The Clay Studio

Tell us a little about yourself!

Originally I am from Santa Rosa, California, which is an hour north of San Francisco.  When I was 20 I moved to Laramie, Wyoming, to attend the University of Wyoming.  I ended up spending 10 years there, where I finally had a “happy childhood”.  I took a pottery class at UW to fulfill a degree requirement and ended up falling in love with the process.  It’s all I’ve wanted to do since then. 

I’ve had some great teachers and mentors throughout my career.  Phyllis Kloda was my first “real” ceramics teacher.  I also spent 2 years as a Post-Bac student at S.U.N.Y. New Paltz, where I worked with Mary Roehm. I also spent a year at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design working with Walter Ostrom. He was probably my biggest influence.  In 2004 I Moved to Baton Rouge to get my MFA from LSU.

How did you become an artist?

To be honest, I’m not really comfortable with the label “Artist”.  I’m just someone who make stuff.

How would you describe your style? One of the hardest things for artists to do is to stand apart from everyone else. How long did it take you to come up with your own style and signature look?

Matt Metz said my pots were “Manga meets Mingei”, which I thought was hilarious.  I am not really a fan of Manga, but I love Japanese folk pottery, and my drawings are definitely cartoonish.  If I were to define my style it would be “Historic Tradition meets Modern Dissonance”.

It took me a very long time to finally find my own voice, and to be honest, going to grad school was what truly helped me to galvanize all of my ideas into a unified vision.   So I’d say it took me a good ten years to finally put all the pieces together and make the work I am making now.  In the ten years before I went to Grad School I made a lot of really bad work, with the occasional bright spots.  These bright spots, along with encouragement from mentors is what kept me going.

What is your inspiration for your pieces?

I am definitely influenced by old pots; Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Persian, Iznik.  When I’m feeling a little stuck I look at these pots for a jolt of inspiration.  I am also attracted to archetypal floral motifs, which play a large part in my surface compositions.

Finding inspiration for my drawings feels a little more like “work”.  I look at a lot of advertising logos, comics and graphic novels.  Indie-rock concert posters and street artists are also a huge inspiration to me.  I love the line quality a street artist achieves with a can of spray paint.  I strive for that same line quality in my own drawings. 

There are very few contemporary potters I look at for inspiration.  Matt Metz’s pots were an early influence.  His drawings reminded me of Saul Steinberg, whom I adored as a child. It was his pots that probably inspired me to start drawing on my own pots.  Kirk Mangus was also very influential on my work, though he is much looser than I could ever hope to be.  The same could be said for Ron Meyer’s pots. Michael Simon’s and Robert Brady are so amazing I don’t even want to own their work.  It would be too daunting having that great work around,  knowing  I could never make anything that good.

What keeps you motivated?

Motivation definitely waxes and wanes throughout the course of a year.  There are times when I absolutely DO NOT feel like making work.  I’m sure this happens to everyone.  One way to combat this is to apply to lots of shows so you have deadlines.  Deadlines are a great motivator for me.

It’s also imperative to understand that down-time is a big part of the cycle of making.  I feel that I sometimes need to withdraw from the world to solve problems in my work.  It could be that during these down-times I actually experience the most creative growth.

Walter Ostrom had a great saying about down-time.  He said:  “When fishermen can’t fish, they mend their nets.”

Are you a full-time artist? How do you come up with your creations? Can you walk us through your creative process when dreaming up new pieces?

I have never had the fortune to be a “full-time” artist.  I have always had to have other jobs.  Right now I am fortunate to have a fellowship at Ohio State University, which pays me a stipend and gives me free studio space, firings, and most materials.  I am extremely lucky to be here. 

My creative process is really quite simple.  The first step is to just throw a bunch of pots.  I make them with very little thought to what the surface will look like when they are fired.  When the pots are bone-dry (or close to it) I incise lines into the surface.  My surface work is very intuitive.  I never sit down and sketch out what a pot is going to look like.  I just start incising lines and I see where that takes me.

I have some basic design templates, which are mostly based on Sung and Ming dynasty pots.  These templates help me get started. The rest just kind of flows. 

What was it that made you want to start creating? Did something specific trigger it?

I think I was always a creative person.  I just discovered pottery when I was in the right frame of mind to really commit to this type of endeavor.  I took my first pottery class when I was 29.  Before that my life had very little purpose or meaning.

 
What or who inspires you?

I’m really inspired by those in my generation who have figured out how to make a living off their work, without a teaching job or supportive spouse.  Tim Rowan is one who inspires me.  I live near him in the Hudson Valley, so I see him quite a bit.  He is a force of nature.

How do you maintain a healthy work and life balance?

I have a dog.  Without her I would be doomed.

You, like most people enjoy the process of making and crafting and didn’t get into it for the sake of “business”. But eventually you found yourself having to make the transition from crafter to a businessperson. What have you learned so far and what advice can you give others in the same situation?

The one piece of advice I have is be realistic about your prices.  If you are just starting out, I would recommend you keep your prices on the low end.  If you find there is a market for your work, then raise your prices incrementally.  I remember having this same conversation with Josh Deweese.  He said you can always raise your prices, but you can never lower them.

What advice can you give aspiring artists struggling to find their own voice and look?

I can tell you what NOT to do.  Don’t go to the latest issue of CM or Art and Perception, or 500 Teapots. This will only encourage you to copy your contemporaries. 

Walter Ostrom always encouraged me to look at the classics for inspiration.  This is when I first discovered Tz’u-chu ware, and Shino and Oribe ware.  The first drawing I did on pots were attempts to copy these types of pottery.  So if you want to follow my template, find something old to “borrow” from, work hard at it, and eventually the work will evolve into something uniquely your own.

It is very important to know what you like, and not worry about what other people think of it.  Be honest with yourself about what truly inspires you. also, do not be motivated by the trends in ceramics.  When I first started making pots in the mid-90′s, wood-firing was the thing to do.  Now there are a lot of unused wood kilns out there.

I would also recommend that you fill up your life with good literature and music and other aspects of the visual and performing arts.  John Havlicek, the Boston Celtics star,  said that if you eat hot-dogs and hamburgers, you will play like hot-dogs and hamburgers.  I think this applies to artists as well, because if we fill up our brains with crap TV and AM radio, then this mediocrity will be reflected in our own work.

I also find that reading good literature is very helpful, especially when it comes to talking about my own work.

Kurt, Thank you for taking the time to do the interview.  Have you considered drawing startled elk on some of your pots?

I’m home from NCECA Philadelphia. There was so much beautiful work, I was extremely inspired. I can’t wait to get back in my studio and get my hands on some clay. Here are some pictures of NCECA 2010 a hodgepodge of gorgeous work.  I took so many pictures this is just a small percentage of what’s on my camera.