This colorful ceramic sculpture stands as a compelling exploration of form, materiality, and spatial tension, bridging traditional clay craftsmanship with a contempo-rary architectural sensibility. The piece, slip-cast and hand-built, pushes the limits of ceramic structure, balancing precision with expressive surface treatment. The 6″ x 3.5″ x 1″ dimensions may suggest vessel-like origins, yet the bold geometry and dynamic planes transcend functionality, engaging instead with sculptural abstraction.
Historically, clay has been used for both utilitarian and artistic purposes, from ancient pottery to 20th-century studio ceramics. Bowers’ work builds on this lineage by embracing industrial techniques like slip-casting while simultaneously hand-building, an approach reminiscent of artists like Peter Voulkos, who redened ceramics as sculptural practice. The faceted, angular geometry and raw surface evoke Brutalist architecture, while the vivid red interior creates an interplay of concealment and revelation, drawing the viewer inward.
Winning a major award underscores the piece’s importance in contemporary ceramic discourse—a testament to how clay, in Bowers’ hands, becomes an exploration of perspective, illusion, and structural paradox, redening the boundaries of the medium.
