Artist: Brian Chen

Brian Chen, NEW JERSEY
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I have found myself playing with curve, line, and layers. My goal is to use these aspects to draw in the eye of the viewer with my playful curiosity. I want the curves to exaggerate volume and anatomy. As the curve disappears, your eye continues to move and follow around the pot. There also is a softness to these curves that give a sense of comfort. The lines convey dynamic movement. A continuous ebb and flow, swells and troughs. I use layers to add a hint of curiosity and mystery. The slabs I add engulf the thrown form while remaining aesthetically and anatomically independent. The relationship and contrast between the two “vessels' helps emphasize both. One may be static while the other dynamic. One may be soft and textile-like, while the other viscous and fluid. Handles wrap and hold the pot instead of attaching to the surface.

Brian obtained a BA in organismal biology at Colorado College in 2018 and the bulk of his ceramics education occurred during his apprenticeship with Simon Levin in 2019. There, he explored form and learned how to woodfire. Currently, he is a resident artist adapting his work for soda firing and exploring different clay bodies, slips and glazes to further refine his forms.

Education
2018 BA, Organismal Biology and Ecology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO

Professional Experience
Work Experience
2021- present
- Resident Artist, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
2021
- Workshop assistant, Simon Levin, Mill Creek Pottery, Shawano, WI
2019-2020
- Apprentice to Simon Levin, Pawnee, IL
2020
- Workshop assistant, Simon Levin, Millikin University, Decatur, IL
2019
- Workshop assistant, Simon Levin, Mill Creek Pottery, Shawano, WI
- Workshop assistant, Simon Levin/Linda Christianson, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MO
2018
- Workstudy, Tom/Maggie Jaszczak, Penland School of Crafts, Bakersville, NC
- Workstudy, Matt Kelleher, Penland School of Crafts, Bakersville, NC

Workshops/Teaching
2019
- Visiting artist 2 day workshop, Bemis School of Art, Colorado Springs, CO

Exhibitions
Group Exhibitions
2022 - Our Residents: 2000 - Now, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
2020
- Lineage, Millikin University, Decatur, IL

Juried Exhibitions
2022
- Mug Madness 2022, Saltstone Ceramics, Seattle, WA
2021
- Hella Cups, Applied Contemporary, Oakland, CA
- Juried National VI, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
- Pitcher Perfect II, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA
- Mug Madness 2021, Saltstone Ceramics, Seattle, WA
2017
- The Skin I Live In, Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs, CO

Invited Exhibitions
2022
- Chroma, Saltstone Ceramics, Seattle, WA
- 100 CUPS Invitational, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI
- 8th Annual Cupful Show, Cedar Creek Gallery, Creedmoor, NC

2021
- Holiday Show, Wildfire Ceramics Studio, Missoula,MO
- Americano Invitational, ClayAkar, Iowa City, IA
- ClaySiblings Holiday Benefit, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN
- Solo Feature, ClayAkar, Iowa City, IA
- Woodfireworks IV, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
- Yunomi Invitational, ClayAkar, Iowa City, IA
- Cup Invitational, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA
2020- Yunomi Invitational, ClayAkar, Iowa City, IA - American Invitational, ClayAkar, Iowa City, IA

Gallery Representation
Curated Ceramics
ClayAKAR

Publications
2022- The First Step, January Edition pg 18, Ceramics Monthly, Westerville,OH
2021- Emerging Artist, May Edition pg 42, Ceramics Monthly, Westerville, OH
2020- Exposure, January Edition pg 17, Ceramics Monthly, Westerville, OH

Awards/Grants
2021- Emerging Artist, Ceramics Monthly
2019- Studio Potter 10,000 Grant