About Eric Botbyl

• LOCATED: Humboldt, TN
• MATERIALS: Stoneware
• SURFACE: Multiple Slips & Underglazes
• PROCESS: Thrown & Altered / Fired to Cone 10

There is a softness and warmth about the ceramic vessel that carries with it every touch of the potter and mark of the flame. Clay is unique in its ability to record the history of its own making, and the preservation of this process is a vital element of my work. Much of my work is inspired by the idea of “entasis,” an architectural design technique used by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks ... The term, simply translated, means “swollen” or “stretched thin.” While my application is a bit more fluid and organic than the idea presented in historical context, it is at the root of everything I hope my life and work to be. I am influenced by everything from my wife’s pregnant figure to the textured crop lines of rural western Tennessee. Oranges, eyes, barn wood, baby fat, balloon animals, and pine cones are a constant investigation points. I am intrigued by the idea of life swelling from within, seeds breaking through the earth’s surface, and the force of gravity which perpetually plays against them.

Beyond inspiration and influence, I love the sheer physicality of working with clay. There is heavy lifting, grunting, cutting, wedging, sweating, centering, hollowing, pushing and pulling... action, art, muscle, mind and craftsmanship... curiosity, exploration, influence, risk, music, spirit and flesh... smoothing, scratching, scraping, bending, folding, denting... texture, color, pattern, design and decision... history, memory, chemistry, alchemy and serendipity. There are blacks, reds, oranges, yellows and whites... smoke, grit, gloss, sweat, hunger, humor, caffeine, work and rest. There is anticipation, fellowship, congratulations, disappointment and surprise.

The challenge remains for me to create vessels that continuously speak to these elements and beyond.