Peter Voulkos

Peter Voulkos, a clay sculpturist who died in 2002, was important because he brought clay forward as an artistic medium in its own right. Until Voulkos demonstrated the art of clay, people tended to think of "pottery" as either functional ware, a craft, or a tool for "real" artists such as bronze sculptors.

The movement he started came to be known as the American "clay revolution." (Chattopadhyay, 2001) Born in Bozeman, Montana on January 29, 1924, Peter Voulkos earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Art in 1951 from Montana State College, and a Master of Fine Arts in 1952 from the California College of Arts and Crafts (Voulkos & Co., 2003) After a stint at the Los Angeles Country Art Institute, where he chaired the ceramics department, he accepts a teaching position at the University of California, Berkley, which he kept until his retirement in 1985 (Chattopadhyay, 2001).

During that time he traveled across the country meeting with other ceramists and other artists. He taught workshops across the country and influenced other potters who became renowned in their own right, including Robert Glover, Ron Nagle and Paul Soldner (Chattopadhyay, 2001). Voulkos' style was a remarkable break because it capitalized on the qualities of clay in new ways. Recognizing that clay comes from the earth, Voulkos' pieces appear deceptively primitive. They are fired and/or glazed using earth tones.

The finished piece always reveals the earthy nature of the material used to create it. Voulkos also combined a variety of pottery techniques, including wheel-throwing and hand building. However, as is seen by his series of tea cups, he avoided symmetry. Whether he started with something thrown on the wheel or hand-built, the piece was always altered and distorted through a variety of techniques. In this he was strongly influenced both by Zen philosophy and psychoanalysis (Chattopadhyay, 2001).

The result is pieces that clearly have been made by human hands without molds and without desire for symmetry or obvious order. Because of his ability to combine control and freedom, his pottery is often compared to Jackson Pollock's use of paint (Chattopadhyay, 2001). He particularly capitalized on unique qualities of clay. Unlike many sculptural mediums, clay is highly malleable. When on the wheel or when being altered it responds immediately to the human hand. Because of its plastic nature it encourages innovation and spontaneity.

In addition, it is inexpensive and easy to obtain. This frees the artist to experiment in a way that would be extravagant with more expensive media. The artist can even destroy the piece, rework the clay, and start all over again, losing only the time put into the first attempt (Slivka, 1999). This allows those who work in clay to experiment without wasting resources if the results are unsatisfactory.

One work typical of Voulkos' carefully constructed and yet freely formed work is titled "Big Missoula," on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Slivka, 1999). The piece is wheel-thrown and built out of four parts. Looking at the piece, only the top half of the piece reflects its origin on the potter's wheel. The bottom half of the piece is distorted and has had extra pieces of clay added to it, giving it an appearance of randomness.

The illusion of randomness is accentuated by the firing method, in a pit. Placed into a pit of burning materials, the flames kissed the piece sporadically, and the combustible materials give off various fumes that color the clay in an unpredictable way. The result is a piece that on the outside looks at first as if it may have been made without a plan. However, the relative symmetry of the top shows that the piece was made with deliberation.

Remarkably, the inside of the piece is smooth and finished, demonstrating beyond any doubt that the piece was carefully constructed. Thus, while some have thought that he may have taken a "hack and slash" approach to his work, (Balistreri, 2002), those who have worked with him explain his process. A number of parts would be created on the wheel including plates, cylinders and other shapes, which were then assembled and altered to create a satisfying final form.

A strong Japanese influence is revealed in his series of teacups made in the Japanese tradition, thick, heavily glazed and distorted (Voulkos & Co., 2003) He also often fired in an anagama kiln dug into the hillside and stoked with wood over a seven-day period (Slivka, 1999). The ashes from the wood and the slow firing process also provide a relatively uncontrolled final surface to his pieces. Voulkos did.