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Darren Emenau Artist Statement During the past 10 years, my work has been focused on developing a balance between the natural tendency of clay while maintaining a conscious control over its form and function. I use a variety of techniques including extrusion and hand building, which are occasionally combined with shapes I have turned on the potter’s wheel. I have begun digging local clays and intentionally working with existing impurities instead of removing them. Rocks, twigs and other matter contribute to my unpredictable clay surfaces, which are uneven with natural substances. Other local materials such as granite feldspars, slate, calcium, quartz, limestone.potash and wood ash are utilized to create unrefined glazes. The work is fired in a wood/salt kiln within different atmospheres to various temperatures. This unpredictability gives the clay a surface that is cohesive with natural substances, and lends the forms an essence of age and history. Biography
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