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Andrew Tarrant | Episode 1034
Ceramic artist Andrew Tarrant is an accomplished practitioner of sprigged decoration. Andrew’s work is a contemporary view of classical pottery forms influenced by historical and mythological themes and a modern humor. Born in the United Kingdom, and moving to Canada at a young age Andrew’s early memories of England promoted the evolution of his artistic career.
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Who do you respect in the ceramic world and why?
That’s kind of a tough one. I respect so many people in the ceramic world, but I kind of take myself out of it because I don’t want to be unduly influenced by them. I think the longest running person I respect most is Greg Pace. He is one of my first instructors, not one of my initial instructors but he was there through me going back and teaching at the same college. He always does his thing. He doesn’t do anybody else’s thing. He does his thing.
How has your work changed over the years? Can you see an arc?
A long and slow arc, yes. (laughter) It’s maybe gotten a little darker and definitely more refined. Certainly the walls are getting thinner. (laughter) But yeah, I feel it’s gotten more refined and polished over the years despite certain road blocks I still keep moving forward trying to make it better.
If you are being asked about your work, how do you describe it?
I try to describe it as dark as it may be there’s a certain sense of humor to it if you look at it right. And I try to make it as personal as I can for each person so, like despite me saying I don’t make cutesy things I have made a cat mug for somebody, for their cat that passed away. I made a portrait mug of their cat. Sculpted and everything.
When people are handling your work what feelings do you want your work to invoke?
I want them to feel like it’s theirs. And they look at everything, even pieces that are similar they are all completely different and they found their piece. I see people picking up different multiples, like I will make the same faceted skull mug again and again and they keep picking them up until they feel the right one in their hand. And when that moment hits that’s great to see. That’s great to feel.
You can only make one form for the rest of your life. But it’s your choice. What form would you want to make for the rest of your life?
Bowls. That comes from a long time ago a friend of mine who has since passed away gave me this quote from a magazine she found. From a book called Cracks in my sidewalk. It was just a quote that started off, Three lifetimes ago I made 400 different types of pottery, blah, blah, blah, and then as you get older as I am now the muscle starts to go and the bones start to creak and you realize, Yeah you can make butter dishes and rabbit feeders and all that but really, what do you need? You can drink out of a bowl, you can eat your food out of a bowl, you can wash your socks in a bowl, you can Zen out and get in the bowl and view the universe from the curve of the bowl. You can do everything with a bowl. So I will dig out that quote for you and send it to you. It’s a wonderful quote, but yeah, bowls, because you can do everything with a bowl.
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