Collection: Rob Fornell

While I have been working with clay for over 25 years, over the past 10 years much of my work has been centered on work for Chanoyu, or the Japanese tea ceremony. The approach I take is simple, to find and use materials in a raw state and then step back and let the fire and clay have their voice or dialogue; preferring to consciously assume the role of that of the enabler rather than the creator.

In my work, I tend to keep the forms fairly simple and strong in hopes to provide a canvas for interaction of the glaze, slip, and fire. It is my goal to create works that while referencing the past, are contemporary in their expression, which function to bind us in the expression of our humanity at this moment.