Stephen Fisher
Fellowships 2023
I love geometric shapes. Their qualities of symmetry, precision, economy, and repetition create powerful visual statements for me in my ceramic work. I am interested in exploring color, especially combinations of bright and muted colors in neighboring glazes, as well as the interplay of the geometry of decoration and three-dimensional shape with functional elements such as handles, spouts, and lids. In doing so, I want to reimagine historical and traditional ceramic forms through the lens of bold colors and geometric shapes of abstract painting and sculpture. The goal of each of my ceramic pieces is that its presence in one’s space is significant. The user’s unique interaction with it exceeds its mere function to become an elevated experience – a celebration.
My pieces are constructed of flat slabs of clay and thrown sections created on the potter’s wheel. The combination of these techniques is very effective for creating the hard-edge, geometric shapes in my work. My pieces are fired to a mid-range stoneware temperature, which is ideal for making functional and durable pieces with a diverse palette of glaze textures and color. Glazing the work is a multi-step process where individual decorative shapes are created with one glaze, then the whole piece is covered with another glaze. This way of working is in opposite order to traditional glazing techniques. During the firing, the layers of glaze partially fuse together, creating luminous colors and variegated textures that contrast with the geometric form.
2022