David Kaufmann Exhibit, May 2017
Artist Talk: Coming soon. “The work of building these forms is a steadfast and incremental stepping. As small bits of clay accumulate into a critical and purposeful mass, the fog of intention often lifts just in time to reveal a habitable destination. Many of the initial directions for these pieces are experiments in the simplest of things: a curve, a shadow, a swarm. As an artist, I absorb many things. I might file away a mist laden horizon next to some musings on screen pixelation, or sediment in the earth. A recurring theme of my process here was to remove variables. I felt that simplifying parameters was the best way to let this rich library of aesthetics and ideas seep out through the tips of my fingers into hollow and resonating forms. Metaphors for this work are ripe and abundant; the best and sweetest fruit is always the one you pick yourself.” – Kaufmann, Bits and Bits exhibit
David Kaufmann grew up in the hills of western Massachusetts, and was raised with a reverence for making. Finding clay at a young age, he learned to throw pottery, and has continued to work at that over the years with a spirit of humility and pride for the tradition. Welcome tangents along that path have included vessel-based and conceptual sculpture, handmade brushes, and ink drawings. He currently lives in Homer where he shares a studio with Paul Dungan, teaches Ceramics at Kenai Peninsula College, and volunteers at the Homer High School studio.