Stuart Gair
BIOGRAPHY
Stuart Gair is a ceramic artist who currently lives in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He teaches classes at Colorado Mountain College in Aspen as well as Carbondale Clay Center. Gair most recently moved from Montana, where he was a long term resident at The Archie Bray Foundation and prior to that, taught at Harvard University. He finds delight in spending time outside and is oftentimes inspired by the geological features he encounters in the areas he lives. Clay is dug in these same areas and used to make his functional pottery. Gairs background in History and fascination with form-language of past civilizations are driving forces behind the objects he creates.
Q&A WITH THE ARTIST
Carbondale Clay Center (CCC): What’s your favorite beverage recipe?
Stuart Gair (SG): Montana Highball
3 parts North Fork whiskey rye
1 part Reeds "strongest" ginger beer
spoon-full of huckleberries
CCC: Where does your creative process begin (i.e. sketchbook, specific routine, image reference, etc.)? What considerations do you think about when creating drinking vessels?
SG: Always begins with a combination of inspiration of objects from past and a series of sketches based on those objects. When creating a drinking vessel, I think about the form in terms of balance, silhouette, and volume. Considerations are also placed on function, with a particular emphasis on comfort when holding and drinking.
CCC: Do you have a certain type of vessel that you prefer to drink from? Does it vary based on the beverage?
SG: I enjoy using small drinking vessels. Whether for tea, coffee, cocktail, or wine, the almost ceremonial act of repetitive pouring brings attention to the vessels being used for both pouring and consuming.
CCC: When creating a mug, I often hear about the detail and time taken for the handle. Do you have a handle size and type that you prefer to use? Why? Does that directly inform your creative process?
SG: Different handle sizes are used for different forms. The fun is the challenge of finding a comfortable fitting handle for different forms. Whether it is larger or smaller, it must create balance within the overall form and they must be together in harmony. I try not to put the same handle on every cup and if there is a form that doesn’t need a handle, I’ve found it important, yet difficult, to leave it handless.
CCC: What makes handmade pottery unique to you? Why use a handmade object to sip your coffee, tea, water, etc.?
SG: It’s unique because every pot is different. Even the same form by the same maker. I enjoy having a myriad of mugs in the cupboard, which acts as a library. With each use Im learning.
CCC: What influences your pots? What are you looking at or thinking about when making specific beverageware?
SG: I look at a lot of objects from the past. Specifically, I’m drawn to clean, sleek, uninterrupted lines and attention to volume that are exhibited by these past cultures such as Native American, Scandinavian, Korean and Japanese.
CCC: Is there a certain type of drinking vessel that you prefer making? Or one that seems to always be sought after by customers?
SG: Yes, teabowls are a favorite of mine. Though seemingly simple, teabolws can be very complex in terms of their weight, volume, proportions, and use. Teabowls often inform ideas for other forms.
CCC: How do you define art within your functional pottery? Do you consider pottery to be a form of art?
SG: I certainly consider functional pottery to be a form of art because I am expressing myself and my ideas through the objects I create.
CCC: What keeps you inspired in the studio?
SG: Spending time away from the studio is the most inspiring thing that gets me back in. It provides time to step away and be immersed in the world outside the limited confines of my studio.
CCC: How do color, surface, and form influence your work? Does each of those design elements play equal roles in your making process? Is one emphasized over others?
SG: Form seems to influence my work more than anything else. As mentioned before, I spend a lot of time thinking about the sculptural elements of each form. Typically, these elements are inspired by things other than pots such as furniture, sculpture, rocks, paintings….anything really. The smallest element, like the edge of a well crafted coffee table can become the foundation for an entire exploration on “edge”. Surfaces are also important and vital in a successful piece. I have been working to use the soda firing process to emphasize or accentuate different parts of the pots. The difficult part for me is to limit the amount of flame activity on the pot. Often times these marks can overpower the form. The goal is to create an equal balance between form and surface and use.