Lisa Johnson

Lisa JohnsonLisa Johnson started her career in fine arts at Miami University under Distinguished Professor Susan Ewing, Head of Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design. After receiving her BFA in 2004, she continued her education at Indiana University studying with Professor Randy Long and Dr. Nicole Jacquard of the Metals Department and received her MFA in 2009.  Recently awarded artist- in- residence positions include; Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, Kiln God in 09' and Haystack Mountain School of Craft as a TA for Kiff Slemmons in 10'. After concluding her position as adjunct assistant professor in the fall of 2010 for Indiana University's Metals Dept., Lisa has been invited to conduct workshops and lectures for Murray State University and East Carolina University's Metals Symposium in 2011.  Lisa's current works are featured in Lark Books Plastic Jewelry '09 and Decorative Resurgence, Lark Books Silver Jewelry '10, and Humor in Craft by Brigitte Martin that is expected to come out soon.  Lisa is looking forward to pushing the boundaries of her studio practice and meeting artists that share the same enthusiasm for creating and working together at Arrowmont this year. Her work may be viewed at her website, lisamjohnsonart.com.

Artist's Statement

Indiana Princess Wedding RingIndiana Princess Wedding Ring (detail)For the Birds Punch Bowl

For the last few years I have been incorporating porcelain into my studio practice where the content of my work arises from an interest in the juxtaposition of puns, translations, irony, and duality.  Through identifiable objects, my obsession with redefining the recognizable is a direct expression of observations or experiences that communicates as appealing, stimulating, and sometimes humorous.

The work I create exhibits vast methods of construction from both metalsmithing and ceramic disciplines.  The materials and techniques I use are determined by conceptual needs of the piece.  Transforming found objects through various processes has expanded my creative capacity and ability to communicate ideas in visual language.  By incorporating found objects I am also highlighting the decision making process of selecting a particular object and the context in which it is placed.  It is through these diverse modes of transformation in the realm of sculpture, functional objects, and jewelry that everyday objects are assigned new meaning.

Phil Haralam

Phil HaralamPhil Haralam received his BFA in Ceramics from Guilford College in 2002 and completed an MFA in Ceramics at Indiana University this past spring.  In the six years between these degree programs, Phil helped to establish a community clay center in his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, while making a living as a studio potter, a ceramics instructor, and a freelance photographer.  Phil has taught courses in Ceramics and 3D Design at Indiana University and Guilford College and has instructed several workshops in ceramic and photographic techniques.  In addition to his studio work, Phil has been involved with numerous arts organizations, serving for four years as the Co-Director of Strictly Functional Pottery National and for one year as organizing director of the Fuller Projects, an experimental exhibition and installation space at Indiana University.  His own work has been exhibited in galleries across the Midwest and East Coast, most recently at the Philadelphia Clay Studio. His work can be viewed on his website, philharalam.com.

Artist's Statement

PrincipleEggshellsSophomore

Human nature can be read on both exterior and interior levels.  There is the social face presented to the world and the psychological underpinnings which give that social self its form and structure.  My work attempts to map this complex interaction by combining sculpted form and graphic imagery into non-representative psychological portraits.  Each piece evolves from a central form, upon which I layer additional visual information through painting, incised line, and applied decals.  This inner form is surrounded by an outer construction that represents external projections of the self.   Through the interaction and juxtaposition of these visual elements I create layered compositions that emulate the seemingly random associations embedded within the human psyche.  Although each piece has specific inspiration, the portraits ultimately are fictional composites that demonstrate how personal characteristics, experiences, and memories can both limit and enhance the way an individual presents him or herself to the world.

Chandra DeBuse

Chandra DeBuseOriginally from small town Nebraska, Chandra DeBuse grew up biking country roads and drawing woodland creatures. 

She studied ceramics at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln before receiving her MFA from the University of Florida in 2010.  Chandra recently completed an artist residency at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida where she taught adult and children's classes.  

Her pottery incorporates bouncing lines, low-relief, candy colors and playful hand-drawn imagery. Visit her website:  http://www.chandradebuse.com

Artist's Statement

Candy Dish with Gold SpoonCatch PlatterCupsDouble Bud Vase

As a maker of functional pottery, I use narrative imagery, pattern and form to reflect human attitudes toward play.  The intimacy of using a handmade object infused with bouncing lines, candy-colors, low-relief and hand-drawn elements beckons users to ponder the playful message illustrated on each item.

Playful patterns and drawings cover the surface of forms.  Patterns found within nature, such as tree bark, water waves or flower petals are abstracted and simplified, dancing and ricocheting across forms.  Drawings show characters dwelling within the landscape of a vessel, inviting human fingers to also roam the topography, seeking out their own nourishment. The intimacy of using a handmade object invites a relationship between vessel and user, allowing users to ponder the playful message illustrated on each item.

Voluminous three-dimensional forms are inspired by landscapes of leisure:  golf courses, public parks, and swimming pools.  Manicured and domesticated, these playscapes contain the pleasures of nature without the fear of the wild.

Despite the adage, "don't play with your food," ceramic vessels have historically served as objects of amusement.  English fuddling cups and puzzle jugs make games out of consuming liquids.  Greek rhytons performed the dual roles of cup and facemask.  Amidst the strict roles of Victorian society, tables were abundant with playful majolica serving pieces, referencing character and landscape.  My ceramic designs continue this tradition of inventive form, inviting the user to consider fresh interpretations of service ware.  I hope that through the interaction between the user and object, a playful attitude is sparked.

Dustin Farnsworth

Dustin FarnsworthDustin Farnsworth was born in the center of a giant hand laid to rest between five magnificent bodies of fresh water (also known as Michigan). After concluding his formal studies at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, MI, Dustin received a Windgate Grant that he used to move to the epicenter of Appalachian craft to work for notable sculptors Stoney Lamar and Brent Skidmore.

As a resident of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, he looks forward to combining the skillsets from both his formal education and year in assistantships to further develop his work. He appreciates firm handshakes, dark coffee, and all those who have something to share and even more to learn.

Learn more about Dustin and his work at http://www.dustinfarnsworth.squarespace.com.

Artist's Statement

Swan Song (The Myth of Detroit)lgardwtThis Old American LifeI Am Man (Premonition) - side view

As I grew up, I found myself seduced by the sounds of industry and the struggle of the men and women who operate as its gears- simultaneously reaping its promises, effects, and shortcomings. While earlier work dealt more with the products of this machine- building in a manner reflective of mass productions rhythm and repetitions - current work explores the narrative that unfolds as industry leaves the communities built upon its promise; A time when the banners of industry pronouncing our dedication to work fall to Orwellian signs that read 'Demolition Means Progress'. I strive to find the thread that connects us all, transcending cultural divides with work that at times seems deceptively playful but that is haunted by the dark undertones we find between the crests of waves... and the thread that pulls us through.