The ultimate culmination of Science and Art happens in the ceramic process. With an overview of the ceramic process, Ms. Robert discusses how physics, math, chemistry, geology, and the natural elements come to together to play a vital role in forming a complex matrix that allows for travel to the moon, the appreciation of sculpture, and a drink from a favorite coffee cup.
T Robert studied ceramics at the University of Central Florida and also trained at the International Workshop for Ceramics in Tokoname, Japan, where she worked with a number of Ceramic Masters including Ryoji Koie. A scholarship to Arrowmont School of Craft in Gatlinburg Tennessee gave her the opportunity to learn from world-renowned artist Paul Chalef. She also attended Alfred University, and has worked with a number of professional ceramic artists. She counts Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner and Fred Olsen among her mentors.
Ms. Roberts’ work spans many methods, many styles. Geography – particularly stone formations – crops up again and again in her work. The Asian aesthetic is woven through the pieces: simple, monumental, rough-edged. Symbols recalling the natural world echo in the pieces. A frugality with color is another commonality, and an overreaching respect for the process is ever-present. Working masterfully within that structure, she pushes at its edges, but never forces it, producing works that manage to exude both subtlety and strength.
Ms. Robert’s talk is a prelude to the forthcoming 70th Scripps Ceramic Annual exhibition. The longest running showcase of contemporary ceramics in the United States, this important exhibition features works by its artist curators from 1945 to the present. The exhibition opens January 25, 2014.