Cayden Moore
[BFA] Studio Art – Ceramics
Working in clay enables me to leave an impression of the process embedded in both form and surface. I alter my pots both on and off the wheel. I use handmade stamps, wire tools to cut through the clay, and sometimes even a blowtorch to dry the surface of a pot. This is an attempt to capture the qualities that the clay exhibits from wet clay to a fired ceramic piece that is ready for home use. I use a glaze that could be seen as volatile. The surface colors and shine vary drastically depending on how much glaze is absorbed by the pot. It also is prone to certain glaze “flaws” that I embrace. My pots are then high-temperature reduction fired. The reduction within my firings leaves an imprint of its process by trapping carbon in the glazes. This shows the process of creation and how it came to be a fired, finished pot.
Important to my process is a treadle kick wheel that is powered by my left leg. At the same time, I kick my left leg as my hands work in tandem. I often throw pots in sequence. Each pot I throw influences my decisions for the next. When I work this way, I can give the clay some wiggle room to express a new aspect of the form while I also try to manipulate it to conform to my loosely set out plans. This push and pull between clay and potter is what excites me about working with clay. I approach alteration the same way throwing. I create a system of basic forms and tools and apply them in an individual way to each pot. The differences could be in the stamps used, the belly of a pot, where I stamp my “chop”, signature mark, or even the size of the foot. The ultimate goal of my work is to create beautiful, functional wares for home use.
Bio
Cayden Moore will be completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in ceramics from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. With the help of a Leach-styled treadle kick wheel and a reducing atmospheric gas kiln, Cayden creates functional wares intended to be used and enjoyed in the home setting. A goal within the work is for the final piece to show details from each part of the creation process, from wet mud to finished, functional wares. As well as creating pottery, Cayden is also a ceramics art instructor at the Lux Center for the Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska.
@caydenmooreceramics