These two words and their definitions form the foundation of my work in clay and continue to be important factors considered as new objects are developed.

My objects are made with an intentional absence of a comprehensible function in hopes of portraying an indistinct scene or state of being, challenging both myself and the visitor to visually and mentally probe through the forms and surfaces without any clear deduction to its purpose and/or intent.  I aim to be only a collaborator with the materials – and ever enthusiastic about new and unexpected births.

Recent work however, attempts to address our fragile existence through referencing human and/or animal printed imagery transfers and objects/appendages that have possibly gone awry.  Mixed materials are employed out of sheer interest of the collaboration and unification and/or disjunction with the ceramic medium.  The use of such materials as glass, rubber and various metals seemingly complicates the forms and opens a wider window of contemplation and meaning.  Since the medium becomes static in its final state, I am intrigued with the notion of creating an object that yearns for evolution and transformation.  It is my intent to handle the mediums in such a way so that they address not only the present, but also reflect the past and future simultaneously. 

Often times, ‘completed’ work is cannibalized and actual appendages are recycled into newer objects – this particular practice unveils constant new possibilities and combinations that encourage the game to ever continue and develop.

TODD SHANAFELT