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Diane Eisenbach | Episode 1269
Diane Eisenbach is an artist-educator whose ceramic work often combines natural, figurative, and architectural elements. Diane received an MFA from San Diego State University and a BFA from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Diane has been Chair of the Ceramics & Glass program at Monterey Peninsula College for 28 years.
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Diane, you said something about your work that I just thought was so beautiful and poignant. You mentioned about having your work have basically a message of hope. It’s not necessarily an overt message, but there’s hope in the work of what you’re trying to do, which I just think that’s such a beautiful idea about pottery of hope, that you’re making work that kind of has that vibe. But the question that I wonder as you as an individual is, can art without being overt be hopeful?
Well, thanks for saying that. I think really it’s self-preservation. because I need to try to make something hopeful just so that I don’t get too depressed. So there’s also a time where you need to step up and take action as well. But so far, I’ve just tried to put into my artwork the most beauty, most amount of beauty as I can. Because the pieces that I make, I work on for a long time. So if I were trying to put forth a really strong message that kind of was depressing me. I think I’d probably just dig myself a deep hole.
Do you think that beauty in and of itself is enough of a message?
Probably not. I think, you know, we probably have to put some stronger messages into our work and I’m hoping I can do that. I’m a very slow maker and I’ve been really focused on teaching for the last 28 years here in Monterey and 10 years before that in San Diego. So a lot of my work is more focused around my students and trying to plan things that I can show them at the same time that I’m making my own work. So it’ll be interesting to see when I’m not so focused on teaching what my work will truly be.
Do you feel like this next portion of life will give you the time for more self-expression?
I think so. I think so. Because I feel like when you’re so involved in teaching, that’s where a lot of my thoughts always go. But if I’m not thinking about my students and what they’re interested in learning as much, then I’ll be more focused on the ideas that are going directly into my work. And so that’s where I hope to be able to get more of a message into the work without it becoming morose or, ideally, I would like a strong message about the environment without it depressing.
Do you feel that that by making representative work, do you feel that by presenting that work that it gives a voice to those things?
Those creatures? I hope so. The birds started when I was volunteering at the Wildlife Center. in Monterey. And that’s when I really, got more of an appreciation for birds, being able to work with them up close. And they’re really the harbingers of our environment. You know, the canary in the coal mine idea is something that I think about a lot. And having worked with birds closely, I now really notice the birds that are around me and how they migrate. And I think more about their environment. You know, when there’s storms and fires, it’s all those creatures that are being affected that I really worry about. You know, as humans, we have a chance to, you know, try our best to get out and escape. And I always worry about animals that are left behind.
In your work as a maker, do you start out a piece knowing what the end result is going to look like?
Sometimes it, sometimes I’ll have a vague idea and I’ll just begin coil building an organic form from the bottom up and that piece will have a life of its own and I respond to what the clay is doing. Other times, the last piece I just finished was a portrait that was an attempt to get a likeness of someone. So in a case like that, you’re starting with a very specific idea in mind and trying to make it as representative as possible.
Now that your career portion of life is slowing down, what’s something in ceramics that you’d like to pursue that you haven’t had the air quotes here, time to actually chase down?
First it’s going to be all those unfinished projects that I never had time to complete. I have mosaic projects leftover from tiling a wood fired brick oven. in a local restaurant that still need to be grouted to be completed. I have a series of glass tiles for my fireplace that need to be installed, a ton of projects like that. So I made myself a list and that’s what I’m concentrating on for now. And during the time that I finish up all those longer term projects, I’ll be starting to think about what direction I really want to pursue on my own.
Book
Teaching Art and Life by Chris Staley
Contact
Instagram: @montereymoonclay