by LANA Wilson
Running the traditional and online galleries at the Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana has honed Anthony Schaller’s eye. He is a potter, as is his wife. I called to ask a two-minute question and we talked for an hour on techniques he uses to help artists develop their work. He graduated with a degree in business first, and worked in that field before going back to college for a degree in art education. He taught at Indiana University, was an artist in residence at Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, and taught ceramics classes while he was there. He has also curated and juried shows and recently served on an NCECA panel on curating. Lana Wilson: Is this a progressive list for how to improve your work (i.e., you’d better do them all), or a pick-and-choose list? Anthony Schaller: Pick and choose. You certainly don’t have to do them all. Here is the first one. A valuable way to develop your art is to draw more. Instead of photos, draw (use the word sketch if it is less daunting) pieces from reality, from books, from museums, from anywhere and anything that inspires you. When you make the drawing, some things happen. The first thing is that the visual perception, or the image of the pieces, enters through your eyes into your brain. Only you see the way you do. The second thing that happens is how the memory of the piece is transformed in your brain; you remember what you liked, what connected and appealed to you. Then when you draw, it’s creating with your senses, your hand, your talent. There is another gift that comes through drawing; it removes color, texture, clay type and the firing method. It breaks the pieces down to line and form. Later you have to add those things back, but you have first clarified the form, proportions,
size relationships, and perhaps texture. If you want to push the drawing further, make drawings of your drawings: it makes them more and more your own. You can also make drawings from memory. See what works best for you. Wilson: That sounds more than sensible, but when I draw I capture so little of the piece I want to make. I can’t draw the puffiness in a piece or the bas-relief subtle texture. Schaller: Yes, that is true, but you can work on those huge issues of proportion, size relationship of parts, how many parts, etc. By drawing, you can solve if you want to add, and make it more complicated; or simplify if you want to. Artists can get a head start on paper so they won’t make as many mediocre pieces in the studio that don’t quite work. Wilson: You are right. It reminds me of a painting class I took. The teacher wanted us to make 20 division of space sketches to plan the composition before we worried about color, texture, line quality, etc. Next idea?
Schaller: I think it is of enormous importance to look outside of the clay realm. There are lots of places to go, (take your sketchbook) outside in nature, the grocery store, the mall, a furniture store, a machine shop, a tool store or hardware store, etc. Be astutely aware of what catches your attention, draw it, and make it your own. Everything is just a combination of form, volume, texture, proportion, and color. Look for shapes and curves, for volumes, and for textures. Draw them and figure out how to incorporate these found ideas into your work.
Perspectives I Beneath the Surface
Art By Design
I want to expand that to include inspiration from historical or contemporary pots, or nature or typefaces. Try drawing something instead of photographing it. Your own drawings will be used as the starting point. Wilson: Do you have a way of working with words to help artists? Schaller: Take a sheet of descriptive words and circle the ones that describe how you want people to describe your work. continued on next page
Which terms would you like for people to use when they describe your art? asymmetrical balanced beckoning beautiful biomorphic bright British broken bulbous campy celestial childlike cliché collegiate complicated
connotation continuity contour country crude curious curvilinear cut cutting edge Dada dead delicious democratic derivative descriptive
designed dichotomy didactic dignified disheveled distempered distorted disturbed dominant dry dull dumpy dynamic earthy edgy
elegant emotive entreating erotic ethereal euro expressive feminine fine art fine craftsmanship flashy flat folk fragile
frenetic fresh functional futuristic fuzzy geometric gestalt gestural ghetto glossy grandiose grotesque guttural hard-edged harmonious
CLAYTIMES·COM n MARCH/APRIL 2008
2-dimensional 3-dimensional abstract academic alive ambiguous amorphous analogous ancient androgynous angular anthropomorphic antiquated appealing Asian
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