Visions In Clay 2023
Robert Zumwalt (he/him)
Music and nature are instilled in Robert Zumwalt and the objects he creates. Robert grew up in the suburbs of Fresno, California. During his formative years, Robert’s family frequented the Sierras. The Epic parks of Yosemite and Sequoia National served as church and playground. Drawn to music at an early age, Robert spent half his life studying classical piano and clarinet, culminating in a master’s degree. Following school, he volunteered at San Francisco’s arboretum where he studied botanical form and landscape which lead to work as a gardener. Robert conceptualized and installed gardens using his foundation of music. Musical ideas of form, structure, texture, motifs and style leant themselves to constructing physical space. The seasons and the ephemeral nature of the garden became his meter and rhythm. At age thirty-five Robert enrolled in his first pottery class. Initially, he was enamored with producing functional ceramics, the technique and physicality of wheel throwing. However, the call of the sublime, a reminiscence to music making, of constructing and sharing other worlds returned to Robert’s aspirations. As he now focuses on bringing a sense of time and space into immutable objects, Robert continues to use the transformative experience of music as his guiding light.
My ceramic practice is a material investigation guided by process. I create iterative systems of production that result in series or fragments for larger works. Form is often a byproduct or secondary to this practice. My systems are set up to fail. This creates obstacles that compel intuitive making, balancing process and hand and ultimately reflecting humanity. Recurring patterns of nature as well as natural forces make up the bulk of my mark making. I use a modified version of nerikomi to create linework reminiscent of strata in order to describe our existence through entropy.
Spore No.6
Porcelain, Mason Stain, cone 10 reduction
16” x 24” x 14”
2022
$3,500