Writings
“The Sludge Of Clay”
by D.K. Higgins, published in the State College Magazine, December 2012
The Hegemonic Eye; Can The Hand Survive?
The NCECA Journal, 2004
Investigations, Inspirations: The Alchemy of Art and Science
by Chris Staley
Have you ever had a broken heart? Perhaps a pet that you had for a long time passed away or a partner decided to leave. I can remember my heart aching from such a sense of loss when someone I loved left me. We often use a part of our bodies to describe our feelings and reactions such as, “You know what you said really touched my heart,” or when implying someone’s too sensitive, “they are thin-skinned.” This confluence of our thoughts and feelings with our bodies is one of the most profound aspects of our human experience. We are the only animal that sheds tears when happy or sad.
Black Ooze
“The Masters:Porcelain” by Richard Burkett
Published by Lark books 2008
By Chris Staley
While growing up, my Mom would often say to my brother and me “Get outside, and I don’t want to see you until dinner time.” As a result, much of my childhood was spent in the woods, abandoned lots, or open fields. Having spent so much time outdoors when I was young has affected me to this day. I still enjoy walking in the rain, picking up leaves and stones, and I even get an odd pleasure helping to clean out the clay traps under the sinks at school. The clay sludge reminds me of the black ooze I once waded through in a pond during my youth.
The Challenge Of Making Pots At A University
Ceramics Monthly, February 1996
by Chris Staley
Where does one go to learn how to make good pottery? This is a question without an easy answer. Bernard Leach wrote the following in the seminal chapter “Towards a Standard” of A Potter’s Book: “So far as pottery is concerned, school training is a doubtful method in any case.” I read this many years ago as a student and I have thought about it off and on ever since.