| 2011 |
| Year in Review: The year started out with a focus on the mechanical. My mechanical assemblage series joins my experiences as a machinist and potter. The similarities between these two worlds are more similar than disparate. The wheel works much like a lathe, turning the material as it is shaped into something that is traditionally highly functional. In my work, precision machining meets artistic freedom and when they collide it renders the final product non-functional. It becomes form without function, as a vase holds no water, a ginger jar holds no ginger and blueberries fall through the colander. Nuts, bolts and gears are thrown on the wheel, altered and assembled into familiar shapes. I like glazes that have a toxic appearance and formulate them to resemble aged, rusted or painted metal further separating the work from any customary function. I hope the viewer senses that I am honoring the traditions of potter and machinist while simultaneously rebelling against them. Work in the second part of the year has changed again. With the downturn in the economy and changing economic climate, many old steel mills and industrial plants have closed leaving their abandoned buildings and equipment to rust. With this deterioration has come the inspiration for many beautiful and colorful abstract images. My recent work tries to capture this new reality. Watch to see how this work has influenced a resurgence in my paintings. And the changes continue as I have found the joy in creating repeating patterns. Mechanical patters are created in Gimp photo editing software, printed and transferred to Thermofax screens, then screened onto clay that is further transformed into canisters, plates, bowls, tiles and serving dishes. Watch as these patterns make their way to large cylinders and mechanical objects in the coming months. But the changes don't stop there. Check out the Bunnies and Rooster at the bottom of this page. Made from colored and texture leather hard slabs, sculpted into animals I grew up with on our small farm. |
| SFclay |
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| © 2011 Steven M. Allen - SFclay. All rights reserved. Images of artwork are copyrighted by the artist |
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| SFclay |
| Twister 46" x 30" x 24" Stoneware |
| Lemon Tea 12" x 10" x 10” Porcelain, White Stoneware |
| Old Yeller Platter 21" x 4” Porcelain, Epoxy Putty |
| Red Platter 24" x 3-1/2" Stoneware |
| Blue-Green Vase 18" x 9" Porcelain |
| Blue 14" x 16" x 16" Porcelain |
| Big Cube 61" x 32" x 24" Porcelain & Stoneware |
| Ginger Jar 34" x 24" Porcelain |
| Green Planter 12" x 10" Porcelain |
| Old Yeller (Restored) 24" x 16" Porcelain, Epoxy Putty |
| 16 Squared 37" x 20" x 20" Stoneware |
| Blue Column 51" x 17" x 12" Stoneware |
| Oxygen 43" x 14” Stoneware |
| Acetylene 36" x 14” Stoneware |
| SFC Chamber 38" x 20” Stoneware |
| Keep It Together 13" x 9" x 4” Stoneware, Raku |
| Lemon Tea 12" x 10" x 10” Porcelain, White Stoneware |
| Rustbelt Mask 1 approx" x 10" x 7” x 3-1/2" White Stoneware |
| Gear Tile 10" x 11” x 1" Stoneware |
| SFC Tile 10" x 10-1/2” x 1" Stoneware |
| SMA Tile 10" x 11” x 3/4" Stoneware |
| Rustbelt Tile 10" x 9-1/2" x 1/2" Stoneware |
| Orange Yellow Tile 10" x 10" x 1/2" Stoneware |
| 64 Vase 10" x 7” Stoneware |
| Rustbelt Vase 11" x 9” Stoneware |
| SMA Vase 7" x 8” Stoneware |
| Red Column 20" x 7” Porcelain |
| Red Rim Colander 12" x 14" x 14" Stoneware |
| Gear Head 14" x 10" x 4” White Stoneware |
| Steampunk Head 15" x 11" x 6” Porcelain |
| Rustbelt Mask II 10" x 7" x 3” White Stoneware |
| QR-Code Tile (customized for your business) 7" x 7" x1” White Stoneware |
| MechTech Tile 22" x 22" x 1” Porcelain |
| Blue Gear Tile 22" x 22" x 1” Porcelain |
| Blue Gear Canister 7-1/2" x 4" x 4” Porcelain |
| MechTech Canister III 7-1/2" x 4" x 4” Porcelain |
| MechTech Canister II 7-1/2" x 4" x 4” Porcelain |
| MechTech Canister I 8-1/2" x 4" x 4” Porcelain |
| MechTech Bowl 3" x 8" x 8” Porcelain |
| MechTech Oval Bowl 22" x 22" x 1” Porcelain |
| Finger Print Bowl 3" x 8" x 8” Porcelain |
| PLAY 11" x 11" x 2" Porcelain |
| IN 13" x 13” x 3" Stoneware |
| PROSPER 12" x 12" x 3-1/2" Stoneware |
| Rust Bowl 10" x 12" x 12" Porcelain |
| Bunny 19" x 9" x 9" White Stoneware |
| Rustbelt Pod Stoneware 23" x 12" |
| Bunny II 15" x 12" x 7" White Stoneware |
| Rooster 19" x 15" x 7" White Stoneware |
| Making a Mark II 57" x 31" Stoneware |
