Ed Feldman

Artist Statement:  As a potter I am interested in those moments when friends, family and even strangers come together to share some time over food and drink. There is an element of ceremony in these events, a vestigial reminder of our tribal past. I try to create a focal point, a vehicle for those moments to occur. Aesthetically, the diverse flora and fungi found in the woods and pastures of my youth are my strongest influence; the soft luminous interior of a water lily cradled by the ragged and weather-worn leathery exterior, or the volume of a morel mushroom, hollow, creating structure only with its skin. It is the subtle tensions caused by this juxtaposition of hard and soft, smooth and rough, interior/exterior that I love to explore.

I prefer to soda fire my work as it allows for originality with each pot and is an endless source of exploration for me. At around 2200 degrees Fahrenheit, I spray dissolved soda ash (sodium carbonate) into the kiln. The resulting vapor moves throughout the kiln to both flux and create glazed surfaces on my work. Due to this approach, I am forced to relinquish control on some level and each piece becomes its own by virtue of location in the kiln and the path the vapor takes. Like all of us no two pieces are ever alike.