Michael Wisner will join Ann Korologos Gallery in presenting an artist talk and demonstration in historic downtown Basalt on July 24 from 5 to 7PM. For the curious to the afficionados, ceramicist Michael Wisner, based in Woody Creek, CO, will explain his process – from selecting, digging, and creating clay from the land, forming hand-coiled pots, low-temperature firings, and developing fine finishes without the use of glaze – and demonstrate the mandala-like, nature-inspired patterns pressed into clay.
“Michael Wisner’s inspiration and process are a remedy to a busy world, practiced along each step, and his story is an inspiration to follow your calling,” shares Sue Edmonds, Ann Korologos Gallery director. “The decades of studying with masters, the extent to which he has explored technique and style, and the cumulative years in silent meditation contribute to the truly exceptional nature of Wisner’s work.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Michael Wisner was born and raised in Maryland, and at the age of 25, he hung up his lab coat and followed the call to life as an artist. During his ceramic studies at the ISOMATA School in Idyllwild, CA, Wisner discovered the work of the late Juan Quezada and embarked on a journey that led him to Mata Ortiz, Mexico and the doorstep of the Mexican-Paquime Indian ceramicist and recipient of Mexico’s highest award: Bellas Artes. “Juan taught me traditional pottery skills literally from the ground up,” reflects Wisner. “[Quezada’s] rigorous standard of craftsmanship challenged me to develop my hand building skills to a level I did not know possible. His passion to create was contagious. I worked for years under his tutelage while simultaneously working as a resident artist at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado where I was exposed to many contemporary ideas.”
Continuing the tradition learned from Quezada of using native clays, natural colors, and the hand building process, Wisner contemplated how to emulate the interplay of painted patterns and the excitement of the geometry, but in his own style. “My work is the nexus of something old and something new,” shares Wisner. "I look at the creative process as a collaboration between nature and the artist where each has a voice in the process," shares Michael Wisner. "Art is a celebration of our contact with the natural world. Beautiful places inspire us and become a mirror that reflects inside and helps to stir creativity to the surface."
Inspired by patterns found along hiking trails – pinecones, weavings, seed pods or a wandering river—Wisner studied their architecture, developing tools to press patterns into clay to honor the structures he observes in nature. The result are exquisite fine-art ceramics with dimensional nature-inspired patterns.
The artist talk and demonstration with Michael Wisner will be hosted at Ann Korologos Gallery at 211 Midland Avenue, Basalt, CO 81621 on July 24 from 5 to 7PM. Learn more at korologosgallery.com, and RSVP to the free event by emailing art@korologosgallery.com or calling (970) 927-9668.
