WHY CERAMIC HISTORY?

WHY CERAMIC HISTORY?

By Jayne E. Shatz, PhD
www.jayneshatzpottery.com--FREE Ceramic History presentations and GALLERY of artwork.

Ours is a magnificent heritage, spanning over 25 thousand years of artistic triumph. Yes, as early as 27, 000 BPE (Before the Present Era), potters, known as Shamans were producing bone fired clay Venus figurines in small beehive type kilns. These lovely black carbon infused sculptures were the beginnings of our ceramic legacy, much the same as the wildly colored images parading along prehistoric cave walls were ancestor to present day painting.

As ceramists, we need to investigate who we were in order to fully appreciate who we are and to fantasize who we might become. The endless spiral of discovery is what congeals an art form that is rich in depth and mystery.

Who were those ancient Jomon potters of 14, 000 years ago that created frenetically coiled vessels equal to any contemporary potter? How magnificent were the vessels of ancient Greece that portray the mythology of a culture on the surfaces of their ware which are viewed as one of Greece’s highest art forms? The history of a culture is viewed through its art; the future of a culture’s art is built upon its history. Every artist has a story; these stories are fascinating to us as we reach for the bouquet of knowledge and hold it dear to our hearts. In the stories of those that lived before us, we gain momentum, a sense of courage to continue pursuing an art form that sometimes is not recognized by the “masses” or fully understood as art.

For many years as a ceramic artist and historian I have shared many of these stories. These stories come from the past and cross over to our present day. They are the stories of people embracing a life in art and who find great joy amidst the serious obstacles in working in “this thing called clay”.

Come to my website, www.jayneshatzpottery.com and enjoy FREE Ceramic History presentations in my “MOMENTS IN CERAMIC HISTORY” section. These lectures are complete with beautiful images, bringing the past into the present with just a quick click on your computer.