Visions In Clay 2024
Brian McNamara (He/They)
Bio:
Brian McNamara is a working artist and professor living in Northern California. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Tyler School of Art and Architecture in 2021. He grew up in the deserts of Southern California in a Mexican-Irish household in the 90’s. His heritage informs and directs his work. Using colorful references to Saturday morning cartoons, his Mexican wrestlers play and fight for his identity.
McNamara is currently based out of Chico California where he teaches at Chico State and has taught at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Hood College in Maryland and Butte College in California.
Artist Statement:
As I sculpt and draw luchadors, I'm transported to my youth, a time when action figures and boundless imagination were my world. This sense of play is integral to my work, inviting viewers to reconnect with their own cherished memories of childhood and exploring the world around them- a time when imagination reigned supreme.
The luchador figures serve as a bridge between my mixed Mexican and Irish heritage and the broader experience of holding diverse identities. Through ceramics, I tap into the power of nostalgia, the 90’s, and Saturday morning cartoons to tell the viewer of my past, my present, and my future, inviting the audience to share in the joy of remembering and rediscovering the playfulness of our own pasts.
Farmers Market Foo, 2023
Terra Cotta, Cone 3 Oxidation, Velvet Underglazes, Underglaze Pencil
20.5 x 6.5 x 7.5”
$1400
Bread's Gettin' Stale, Beer’s Gettin' Warm, 2023
Terra Cotta, Cone 3 Oxidation, Velvet Underglazes, Underglaze Pencil
18.5 x 13 x 4.5”
$1400
Exhibition Season:
Visions in Clay 2024