James Chaney Ceramics

SAKE FORM SERIES

My current work, the SAKE FORM SERIES , addresses the perennial themes of gesture, posture, irony, and humor, through the story telling format of clay vessels, which resemble Japanese Sake bottles in size and proportion. Their hand-held scale and sensibility are central to both craft production and appreciation, particularly in the Ceramic medium.

Sculpted from solid plastic clay, the original forms are rendered hollow through the process of porcelain "slip-casting", an early industrial ceramic technology perfected by Josiah Wedgewood in England in the 18th century.

The unique surface color and patina of these works accrue during a five day firing in an "Anagama" kiln, a Japanese-style, wood-fired, tube kiln of ancient Korean design and origin. No external glaze is applied prior to placement in the kiln. This firing process is circumstantially akin to the concept of "controlled chance" championed by John Cage in the 20th century.

Thus empowered by the aesthetic and technical pioneers of the past, and acknowledging a multitude of contemporary influences, my intent in the present is to extend and expand the tradition of Ceramic Art through personal expression.

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