Miles Holbert

Marion County

Ceramics

B.A. Sculpture (Fairmont State University); M.A.T Teaching/Art Education (Fairmont State University); M.E.D Education (Fairmont State University)

Website

The coupling of form and function is my primary focus. I want my work to be an enhancement of life’s little rituals; Simple, but significant forms that gain affinity through use.

With this current body of work, I am using a low fire terracotta clay that is fired to maturity to give it a rich brown color. My pieces are made using a potter’s wheel, as well as hand building techniques. I paint the pieces with colored underglazes while in the leather hard stage. I then use a Mishima style process to separate the fields of color and then bisque fire. After bisque firing I lay in another color underglaze to complete the process. The piece is then fired once more to become vitreous and achieve the toasty brown color.

Inspirational sources are limitless, but for this body of work the focus is based primarily in the natural environment. The hypnotic rise and fall of the land, saturate colors, the honesty of the hills, and the permanent gray that looms, are foremost in the design and decoration choices used. The surface, although playful at times, is also meant to establish feelings of sentiment through the use of the bold incised lines and audacious color selections. The underglazed areas of clay are comforting and pleasing to handle. All of my work is food safe.

Biography

Drawing and imagining, forming crude animals from the earth in the backyard, or constructing stick forts in the woods behind the house, are some of the earliest memories I have of the creative process. I entered college as a painter, but after being exposed to ceramics I made a switch and graduated with a BA in sculpture. While pursuing my masters in education I had the privilege of continuing to work as the ceramic departments studio assistant. It was then that I started focusing on making functional ceramics.

I currently live and make pots in Marion county. I run an arts-based business, Mountain Creative, where I give lessons on the wheel, hand building classes, kids clay classes, and also have paint your own pottery. Stop in and say hey!