Asheville In Atlanta 2004

MudFire Gallery teams up again with curator Kyle Carpenter in September for "Asheville in Atlanta 2004." This year's show offers an all-new roster of artists from Asheville, North Carolina, a small city known internationally as a pottery power-house. The exhibit and sale will open with an artist reception on Friday September 17 from 6-10pm, and will continue through October 16, 2004.

Mark Tomczak - Artist Statement

My interest in ceramics began in undergraduate school at the University of Michigan, but really blossomed while I was a core student for two years at the Penland School of Arts and Crafts. In graduate school at Ohio University, I experimented with both sculptural as well functional forms. However, since establishing by own studio, I have gradually returned to my roots and gravitated toward more functional pottery.

I was raised in a large family (the last of eleven children) and feeding everyone was a significant part of my household growing up. I believe that those family dinners are part of why I am drawn to functional wares. I worked for several years as a chef and the display of food for me has always been as important as the creation of it. My work has a sturdy quality to it that many connect with durability and strength. To pick up one of my coffee mugs is to feel the weight of something substantive in your hands.

My work is primarily thrown on the wheel. I often alter forms after they are thrown either by hand or by using slump molds to create an altered form. I then fire my pieces in a gas, catenary arch kiln adding soda or salt to the atmosphere near the end of the firing to enhance the raw clay and color of the glazes I choose. The enjoyment I receive from being a potter begins with clay and excels when people find my pieces both aesthetically pleasing and useful.