Mike Swatzell

Liberty Lake, Washington

Title: A Walk in the Park

Year of Creation: 2006

Glaze: Cone 6 transparent matt, opaque white gloss and colored slips

Clay Body: Cone 4-6

Dimensions: Height 13 inches, Width 5 inches

Artist's Statement: Well...it's as old as the hills. Those who make things, that is, engage in the creative process, have something to say. Edward Villela, the great ballet dancer said, " Dance is the expression of the human experience or condition." Likewise to pottery, Marguerite Wildenhain, my wonderful teacher and mentor liked to say...the basic elements run through all the mediums of expression...dance, music and sculpture just look at what the artist has to say, look at the rhythms, orchestration. Marguerite liked to express her experience, whether it was a poem, book, music or just sitting in a small village in Peru, contemplating through her eyes and mind the cultural panoply unfolding before her. I should like also to be one who sees the profound in the simple but genuine act of life. As Marguerite used to say..."It's before your eyes, but do you see?"..."To look and to see." How beautiful it is to see...Ah! What is this that beckons the artist...to understand what it is to "see" the beauty of creation. Then and only then will the simplest of acts or scenes have true meaning. As Saint Theresa said..."One can profoundly worship God in the Little Things."

I dare say to contemplate a small boy with his kite or a walk in the park.

It is with this in mind that I offer this vase for the 2006 Vasefinder show...A Walk in the Park.