Collection: David Ernster
David Ernster, pottery Newbury, NH
"I have always been interested in vessels and the ideas of containment, protection, and the mystery they evoke. They possess the quality of containing almost infinite possibilities: stories, dreams, passions, nightmares, kept safe within if only metaphorically.
I think that is why I have found myself drawn to mediums traditionally used for making them, specifically clay and metal. These materials also have an almost alchemical aspect to them as they change states and form under the influence of fire during the processes of forming and finishing. To me these materials of clay and metal are basic elements that seem to have an almost infinite permanence in nature as well as a persistent presence in our history.
As a child I was enthralled with the fossils and crystal formations I would find in rocks on the banks of the river.
Holding these things in my hands beckoned me to imagine the world as it may have been, or might be.
I think that in the work I am doing in clay and metal I am exploring interpretations of the possibilities that I have imagined. The vessels and sculptural pieces are fragments or artifacts that I hope can serve to open the vessels of your imagination."
I think that is why I have found myself drawn to mediums traditionally used for making them, specifically clay and metal. These materials also have an almost alchemical aspect to them as they change states and form under the influence of fire during the processes of forming and finishing. To me these materials of clay and metal are basic elements that seem to have an almost infinite permanence in nature as well as a persistent presence in our history.
As a child I was enthralled with the fossils and crystal formations I would find in rocks on the banks of the river.
Holding these things in my hands beckoned me to imagine the world as it may have been, or might be.
I think that in the work I am doing in clay and metal I am exploring interpretations of the possibilities that I have imagined. The vessels and sculptural pieces are fragments or artifacts that I hope can serve to open the vessels of your imagination."
