Susan Speck

I make whimsical, handbuilt, funk-tional porcelain ware, embellished with rolled and press-molded textures, patterns & sprigs.  I also use vintage and hand-made molds to create the form.  Work is underglazed & glazed for functionality.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I was born into a family that uses their hands to create objects…crafters, painters, illustrators, wood-carvers, furniture makers & quilters.  It was natural to be drawn to Art.  I was always an artist…drawing ‘Folly Monsters’ and cartoon strips with my sisters on free end rolls of newsprint from the Independence Examiner, creating one-of-a-kind birthday & Christmas cards, building Barbie houses & furniture from cardboard boxes, tin cans and left-over wall paper.

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My real creative life began when I touched CLAY as an undergrad in my Ceramics class. There was something about the feel of this malleable material, the smell of it as I created a barrel full of clay in the mixer.   The clay studio at the University of Missouri became my favorite space…it was casual, full of light & free from judgement.  There were soothing sounds (clicking of the handmade kick wheels meshing with progressive rock wafting through the windows to the outside where thrown pieces were slowly drying in the warmth of the sun.)
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Viewers will see uneven edges and finger marks.  These marks are intentional.  As a handbuilder, I prefer the look of the ‘hand’, the entity that forms the entire piece.  There is an intimacy and immediacy to this method of forming…a personal relationship with my material.  I work with molds…vintage molds or ones I make from old and random objects from thrift and hardware stores.  When done, I usually donate those objects back to be purchased again by someone else.
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I used to think that I was obviously knew more than the clay, but CLAY is the real BOSS.  I think of CLAY as a living thing, with a personality and feelings.  It can be my friend, but it can be my arch enemy.   CLAY gives me permission and tells me how it wants to move, to manipulate it to make what is in my head and what comes out of my fingers.out