Alex Pope

Artist Statement / Biography

I work mostly with clay. Although my pieces often take the form of bowls and vases, they are more sculptural than functional. Ideas for the forms that I create come directly from objects that I observe in nature; in the woods, in my yard, in my garden. I am interested in the way that things grow and transform, die and decompose. I notice how different materials respond to weather and wear over time. I also notice the construction of forms in the natural world and pay close attention to transitions from inside space to outside space, from flat plane to curve, from large volume to small detail. So, my pieces are often inspired by individual, specific objects in nature, but are rarely explicit portraits of these objects. The natural object may guide the initial form and decisions about texture and structure, but once the piece is underway, it becomes more of an improvisation. I usually work on several pieces at one time. This way I can experiment with variations on the same idea. I also begin working with a kind of visual language that is related to the original object but that has begun to evolve into something new.

I am also influenced by the large community of young artists with whom I work. I have been teaching art in elementary school for twenty years. Every day I see a new approach to an old problem. Every day I see fresh marks on a piece of paper that remind me of the endless possibilities.