Art, Art History and Design, School of
First Advisor
Peter Pinnell
Second Advisor
Margaret Bohls
Third Advisor
Eddie Dominguez
Date of this Version
5-2021
Abstract
I craft functional pottery that is richly decorated with layers of abstracted botanical imagery. While working within the parameters of function, I explore the possibilities for expressing and evoking beauty through altered porcelain forms and lush surfaces. As a potter, I create forms that inspire curiosity and interaction through a balance of originality and suggested function. I connect myself to others through the intermediary of the vessel, conveying my reverence for plants, nourishment and beauty. People then interpret how to use my work, adding their own sentiments as it becomes part of their lives. Pots live in the home, bridging the gap between purely visual art and daily rituals, and between artist and appreciator. When the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly forced me out of my consuming studio practice, I spent months at home among the pottery my partner and I had collected from friends, colleagues, and mentors over the years. I noticed the objects around me appeared to remain the same as the day I first obtained them, but with time they had accrued deeper meaning through use. These vessels triggered memories of people or events that were deeply personal and sentimental. In the absence of new experiences with loved ones, the objects I associated with them became more precious as poignant mementos from those times.
Advisor: Peter Pinnell
Comments
A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Fine Arts, Major: Art, Under the Supervision of Professor Peter Pinnell. Lincoln, Nebraska: May, 2021
Copyright (c) 2021 Taylor Sijan