On May 25th, 2009, Brigitte Micmacker conducted an interview with Mark Chatterley. Chatterley will open a new solo exhibition of figurative ceramic sculpture at Sculpturesite Gallery on June 25th.
BM: Mark, you mentioned in a recent interview in Ceramics Monthly that your favorite part of what you do is the building of the figures, and that the glazing is not as exciting to you. As a gallerist who has sold quite a number of your works, I would say that your unique use of glazes is actually a very important part of the appeal for your work. How did you come about your particular “recipe” for what you call the “lava glazes” with the distinctive craters and flowing details?
MC: I realized early on that I didn’t want to use a typical shinny glaze on the work. The Netsler’s were a husband and wife potter team in the 50s that used an interesting texture glaze. So I set out to see if I could get an interesting texture of my own. It took several years with lots of experimenting to where I am today. Now I am playing with the bubble size with different chemicals. Bone ash and silicon carbide, to name a few. But it is not an exact science. Atmosphere in the kiln, weather outside, how thick I apply the glaze, all affect the results. It is always exciting for me to open the kiln after the glaze fire to see what is in there. The one nice thing that I discovered by working this way is I can load the kiln so the pieces touch each other, Supporting each other so they don’t melt down. When I open the kiln I take a hammer and chisel and separate them. Giving them another added texture. This is something that was told to me not to do when I went to school. Maybe that is why I work this way. Maybe the one reason I don’t like glazing as much as building the sculptures is when I apply the glaze all the different colors look the same, a dull gray. I have to imagine what it will look like after it is fired.
BM: Your sculptures have a primordial presence that transcends time and geography. Viewers sense a deep connection to mythology and philosophical anthropology in your work. Have you studied or developed a personal interest in either field of study?
MC: I have an interest in past cultures and how my work will be viewed a 100 years from now. I am also interested in world religions, past and present. And how artwork conveys these belief systems. I am currently thinking of art as instinct and how if affects our every day lives and how it was used for survival and passed down through the generations.
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