Sculptor Matt Wedel has returned to his ceramic roots. Known for his monumental sculptures that push the material limits of clay, Wedel has focused his technical prowess into a new series titled “The Face Bowl Project.” Formed by hand using the pinch pot technique and finished with brilliantly colored glazes, Wedel has painted a different face into each bowl with hair cascading on all sides. As functional objects, they embody the same aesthetic sensibility and facility of making that Wedel has cultivated in his sculptures.

As the artist states, “I love the directness of the pinch pot. They are unencumbered by art which humbles them as objects. When they are held, you can feel the hand of the maker. As a canvas they represent the foundation of culture itself. In many ways they are the origin to who I am as an artist and more directly, employ the same technique that I use to make sculpture. 

“Similar to a potter, I am in love with the labor of making. It is the exploration of thought through form and the constant search for clarity about the world. Each work is like a puzzle piece to a larger story that is unfolding. They are markers of thought in a process of knowing. 

“Over the past five years I have been creating a series of sculptural head forms by painting the features with ceramic pigment. All of this is part of a larger process of acknowledging the presence of my hand in the gesture of color. I imagined the faces being deflated or pushed in on themselves. This series of bowls are a reflection of this idea with their concave faces and hair wrapping around – a moment of thought in the studio. 

“Over time my interest in vessel making and its history have informed the way I understand my work as a sculptor. They are the objects of culture, which has everything to do with the figurative work that I make. They are an entry point into ceramic history and an abundant resource of material and cultural knowledge to work from as an artist. Lastly, they are a connection to my father and my formative years in his pottery studio. They are the things that I love and are a continual reminder about the joys of making.”

Produced in limited supply. Please contact elizabeth@lalouver.com for pricing and availability.