she has a BA in Art from Plymouth State University Plymouth N.H. and an MFA in Ceramics from
Raised in Waco, Texas by a retired potter and an architect, HP Bloomer IV attended the University of North Texas. Initially he started college as a painting student but under the direction of Elmer Taylor switched to ceramics for which received his BFA in 2007. He went on to complete his MFA in Ceramics in May of 2011.
While his past work has focused on modern interpretations of traditional Asian wood fired wares his current work draws on his fascination with architecture and our interaction with the spaces in which we live. Though he uses the wheel as a primary tool it is the alterations and hand built additions to his pots which make his work most recognizable. His incorporation of horse shoe arches, chamfered edges and terraced surfaces in conjunction with the squaring of thrown pieces references architecture ranged from the international style to more historic traditions of western Europe.
The Carbondale Clay Center is please to present our first resident exhibition of 2012.
Tyler McGinn was born near Sacramento California in 1984. He studied art at Seirra College in 2002 and University of California, Davis. At Davis he focused on ceramic sculpture and ph otography. After graduating with a BFA and a minor in art history in 2009 he was accepted into graduate school at Alfred University. In 2011 he graduated with an MFA in ceramic art. Tyler is currently a resident at The Carbondale Clay Center and maintains a studio at Studio for Arts and Works (S.A.W.).
His work incorporates his interest in patterns, language, doodles, and found imagery. The majority of his work is executed on flat ceramic slabs or 'tiles'. This format allows parallels between the original and the end product. This year he has been collecting images which are then transferred by hand to clay. Moving the information from individual points on a piece of paper to a plethora of ceramic objects which allow the connection of ideas through various choices made by the artist.
Cj Jilek grew up outside of the Chicago area and found she had a few great loves: ceramics, travel, and the natural world. Cj received her undergraduate degree in ceramics from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1995. Afterwards she started traveling and exploring her ceramics. Cj moved to Northern California to wood fire where she created vessel forms, exploring the wood fire surface in conjunction with textures representative of the natural world.
Cj continued her travels through California and relocated to Santa Barbara where she taught ceramics for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the public school system, and private schools. Cj has always been involved in her community volunteering for organizations such as Empty Bowls, Ventura County Potters Guild, and Santa Barbara City College. While living in Southern California she traveled the western United States. In 2006 Cj took a short-term residency at the Mendocino Arts Center, leading to her renewed interest in graduate studies. Utah State University provided her with the opportunity to study and travel; she studied in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and China. She recently completed her MFA degree in 2010.
Being inspired by her travels, Cj is now creating porcelain biomorphic forms fired in oxidation with mixed media elements. Through her work she questions ideas of beauty, attraction, eroticism, adaptation and desire. She continues to travel giving lectures and workshops.
Tony Wise started working in clay when he was a student in Lubbock, TX. After working in Missouri a while, he decided it was time to pursue higher education. Having played guitar for a few years, the decision was between a commercial music program near his hometown or a visual arts program in Snyder, TX. That was the decision that led Tony to work under Dave Funk at Western Texas College.
This was one of the best decisions he could have made. Having no clear interest in clay at the time he started, it wasn’t long before the tactile fulfillment of clay and his instructors sincere passion for ceramic work led him to where he is half a decade later; making pots. After graduating with an associates of art from WTC, Tony transferred and was accepted into the arts program at Utah State University. At USU Wise broadened his ceramic horizons from bake ware and slip-casting to kiln and oven building. He has been enjoying the ride, has no intention of stopping his education anytime soon. Tony recently returned from China and took a semester to finish his BFA before moving to Carbondale Colorado to be a resident artist at the Carbondale Clay Center.
Tony has given demonstrations on hand and wheel work as well as other skills he has acquired such as welding, wood working, metal fabrication, digital design, and guitar lessons. Having enjoyed instructing up until now, he is excited to pursue the opportunity to inspire others in the field of education.
