John O’Brien is competitive by nature he has always taken his art seriously, continuing to learn and challenge himself. He feels that the versatility of the clay is only limited by the hands and mind of the artist that places the clay on the wheel. John’s desire is to create something that has never been seen before, to show that ceramic objects can be considered fine art as they have been in the past and that the beauty and craftsmanship is truly a genuine piece of art.
John has studied every aspect of the art form - from building his own wheels and kilns, to the chemistry of the clay and glazes. He has more than 30 years invested in his knowledge and ability of ceramic art. Presently, throwing on the wheel and sculpting are his primary forms.
Dimensional canvases of expression, is one way to describe the artwork of John O’Brien. Whether it is a graceful vase or a sculpture making a statement he is always pushing the limitations of the medium.
John’s criterion generally is to have a shapely vessel that is as thin as the clay will allow, usually on the verge of collapsing. The process begins on the wheel, throwing a desired shape. Once the vessel is thrown if he wants to deform, alter, add clay, or incise he must wait for the clay to be of the correct consistency to apply the techniques. The clay he uses consists of porcelain, stoneware and premium special clay mix that closely resembles porcelain. If an under glaze is used it is applied prior to the bisque firing.
After the bisque firing he then apply glazes to add to the final effect. The glazing application may include a variety of techniques such as, brushing, airbrush, dipping or spray gun. The vessel is then fired again to vitrify the vessel and mature the applied glazes. After this firing John might add over glazes, glass enamels or even another glaze. Depending on what is used, the vessel may have to be fired multiple times.
Many of the glazes used he has formulated himself. John has also created special firing schedules and techniques to achieve optimum effects of the glazes.
In some of John’s work he manipulates his finely wheel thrown vessels by twisting, bending, folding, carving and crimping. His idiosyncratic works are one of a kind, nonrepresentational sculptural vessels. The organic design of each pot creates a modern, exotic form.
John looks at a vessel as if it is a circular canvas. Therefore, some of his work is not just a wheel thrown vessel, but a “painting” in clay surrounding the piece. Not only are they “painted” with glazes, techniques such as incising, carving and adding sculpted pieces are used to depict a 360.0 image.
John’s desire is to create something that has never been seen before, to show that ceramic objects can be considered fine art as they have been in the past and that the beauty and craftsmanship is truly a genuine piece of art.
John has studied every aspect of the art form - from building his own wheels and kilns, to the chemistry of the clay and glazes. He has more than 30 years invested in his knowledge and ability of ceramic art. Presently, throwing on the wheel and sculpting are his primary forms.
Dimensional canvases of expression, is one way to describe the artwork of John O’Brien. Whether it is a graceful vase or a sculpture making a statement he is always pushing the limitations of the medium.
John’s criterion generally is to have a shapely vessel that is as thin as the clay will allow, usually on the verge of collapsing. The process begins on the wheel, throwing a desired shape. Once the vessel is thrown if he wants to deform, alter, add clay, or incise he must wait for the clay to be of the correct consistency to apply the techniques. The clay he uses consists of porcelain, stoneware and premium special clay mix that closely resembles porcelain. If an under glaze is used it is applied prior to the bisque firing.
After the bisque firing he then apply glazes to add to the final effect. The glazing application may include a variety of techniques such as, brushing, airbrush, dipping or spray gun. The vessel is then fired again to vitrify the vessel and mature the applied glazes. After this firing John might add over glazes, glass enamels or even another glaze. Depending on what is used, the vessel may have to be fired multiple times.
Many of the glazes used he has formulated himself. John has also created special firing schedules and techniques to achieve optimum effects of the glazes.
In some of John’s work he manipulates his finely wheel thrown vessels by twisting, bending, folding, carving and crimping. His idiosyncratic works are one of a kind, nonrepresentational sculptural vessels. The organic design of each pot creates a modern, exotic form.
John looks at a vessel as if it is a circular canvas. Therefore, some of his work is not just a wheel thrown vessel, but a “painting” in clay surrounding the piece. Not only are they “painted” with glazes, techniques such as incising, carving and adding sculpted pieces are used to depict a 360.0 image.
John’s desire is to create something that has never been seen before, to show that ceramic objects can be considered fine art as they have been in the past and that the beauty and craftsmanship is truly a genuine piece of art.