Landscapes Come to Life: Rick Epstein By Susan McLean

10/7/2015

I saw Rick Epstein's work at show a few years ago and have been getting his newsletter since. His unique sculptural method of capturing landscapes caught my attention immediately. According to his website:

"In the late 1990’s, I began the full-time pursuit of clay, and produced a wide range of wheel-thrown and hand-built sculptural forms that were Raku fired. Elegant, uncluttered surfaces interested me as a counterpoint to the wildly organic patterning that resulted from the smoke and flame of Raku.  I focused first on glazes rich in copper luster; and later explored slip-resist techniques, whereby smoke penetrates masking layers of slip/glaze to deposit organic carbon patterns into the clay’s surface.

In time, with the historical study of clay works and the advancement of my technical skills, I could fulfill my passion for bas-relief ceramics.  In bas-relief, sections of clay project out from a flat background.  Bas-relief tiles were used extensively for centuries in Asia and the Middle East to record military exploits or religious deities.  Bas-relief was the ideal bridge between two of my greatest passions: clay and nature. I began a series of 3-dimensional landscapes in 2006 which have now become my signature ceramics.

Chinese screens were the inspiration for my method of slicing an image into component elements, which are placed adjacent to one another--each panel or tile functions as an independent work and as a part of a greater whole.  The tile is a canvas, but unlike one on which you would simply paint.  My clay landscapes have tangible depth and texture that play with light and create shadows that shift around on the tile throughout the day. My color process relies wholly on ceramic mediums (no paint) fired to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.  This process leaves a matt, earthy surface that echoes the natural world of my native New England, from which I draw my inspiration."

I love the idea that the pieces change as the light on them changes. This relates to the subject matter- nature- and leads the audience easily into an open dialogue about how the art interacts with them and how they're viewing it, versus how it actually is.

Epstein has upcoming shows in Northhampton, MA (Oct 10-12th) and Charolotte, NC (Oct 16-18th.) Look on his website for more details about upcoming shows and new pieces, and you won't be disappointed.