View Larger Image “Paint Aint,” 23 in. (58 cm) in height, thrown earthenware and stoneware, low fired with salt, 2004.

April 6, 2007

The Poetic Vessels of Ted Saupe

by Memoree Joèlle, Ceramic Arts Daily | Read Comments (0)

To encounter art that pulls you in by all of your senses is a powerful experience; one that may be recounted over time in a story to a friend or even reborn in a future dream. Its power comes from the reality that the moment of being affected by a work of art is essentially made up of a culmination of moments experienced by the artist, and the realization that his or her life experiences are expressed before you in whatever medium he or she chose to use. In the case of ceramics artist Ted Saupe, clay is manipulated into poetic visions that articulate not only his personal story, but the story of the clay itself. He expressed in an interview that he is “indebted to the entire history of ceramics.” Perhaps that explains why, on seeing his work for the first time, I was overwhelmed by a sense of revisiting a time or place that seemed vaguely familiar, yet couldn’t quite be recalled. It is the essence of nostalgia. But Saupe’s vessels transport more than a sense of time; they convey eloquently an expression of life and its complexity, as well as its simplicity.

Saupe is a professor of ceramics at the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art in Athens, where he has taught for eleven years. In all, he has taught ceramics for more than twenty years and the same energy he brings to his own work he brings to the classroom. He enjoys motivating his students to create meaningful pieces of art, which he deems just as important as imparting crucial technical information. His expertise in all sides of the art process is evident in his work.

The artist works both in earthenware and stoneware to build his large pots, which are usually around 22 inches high and 13 inches in diameter. Saupe initially throws pieces on the wheel before assembling them together to make one vessel, and then reworks the clay from both the inside and outside, manipulating the form in order to produce a more organic structure. He uses a minimal amount of glaze in order to preserve the inherent texture of the clay, and often leaves visible marks of his hand, creating a more intimate experience for the viewer. A considerate observer will perceive the physicality of each piece, and that is part of what makes the vessels strong. A tiny crack or a rough patch of clay makes them irresistible to touch. They are reminiscent of vintage furniture, bringing to mind imagery of a great aunt’s kitchen table, its peeling layers of paint elegantly weathered by time and the elements.

The beauty of history is found, metaphorically, in each piece. Etched into the surface are tiny Paleolithic figures and objects, swarming around fragments of sentences in a stream-of-consciousness manner. Studying the surfaces of the vessels, I am reminded of the cave paintings at Lascaux, curious sketches that ultimately began the evolution of human artistic expression. While visiting his studio, Saupe told me that his main historical influence is early Minoan funerary and storage clay jars, which hold the mystery of the past for us now, but originally served as functional pieces. Being objects of art, Saupe’s pots have evolved through the history of ceramics into containers that hold ideas and concepts rather than food or objects.

Words compliment the visual experience, and the ultimate impact is art that is brimming with life. Circling the pieces, I realized it would take hours to really see all of the intricate sketches and words buzzing all over each one. They are a collection of snapshots from the artist’s day, references to the history of pottery and scenes from his subconscious. They may make up a memory or a dream. They are not consciously composed, and Saupe stresses that he doesn’t try to intellectualize his work. It is more about telling a story that is open to interpretation. His narrative is the narrative of life; the evolution of art and human existence, and the commonplace of the everyday.

There is a certain childlike innocence that exists in Saupe’s pots; both in their simplistic, asymmetrical structures, as well as in the crude figures etched into, and sometimes jutting out of, the rough clay surfaces. I discovered that many of the pieces were inspired by the work of his six-year-old daughter, whose playful drawings are pinned to the wall of his studio. “I’m fascinated by the way children compose drawings,” Saupe says, “where they will show a front view and a side view of something simultaneously, and gravity doesn’t exist, like in Chagall paintings.” Saupe’s figures express emotive energy characterized by sporadic placement around the jars. The simple lines that make up the human anatomy defy logic and proportion, with the effect of metamorphosing an ancient Greek sketch with postmodern minimalism. However, Saupe is not a postmodernist; he reverently works the past into his art as a construction of truth. Saupe’s art is an example of the extraordinary, because the extraordinary is art that is executed masterfully, affects its audience emotionally, mentally and physically, and transcends time.