ARTIST STATEMENT ABOUT THE EXHIBITION ~ Stillman Browning-Howe
I’ve always thought tradition is kind of a funny thing. By definition it’s an idea or practice passed down from generation to generation. Yet that can be so quickly altered by one person deciding to step out of the box. Sometimes when I'm looking at older pots from the Mingei movement, I ask if this is really the tradition I work in? But then taking a step back, looking at the family tree from those first Mingei pots and the pieces in this exhibition, I see a clear evolution formed by the connections of individuals.
Mark has often mentioned that some of the most cherished moments of his apprenticeship with Michael Cardew involved sitting around the table eating food and drinking tea with different people, I feel similarly about my time as an apprentice for Mark. I believe these kinds of connections are what make our pottery tradition more than just a set of skills being passed down.
I love cooking, partially the act of it, definitely the end result, but more than anything I like the way food brings people together. That's also why I'm so drawn to wood firing and making ceramic furniture. I love the idea of people sitting down on my stools to chat or maybe sharing tea at one of my tables.
I think tradition is funny because in my head it’s something that has to be followed or upheld, yet I’ve watched traditions change and evolve around me. It’s easy to see it as something separate from the individuals that are involved in it, but I can never pinpoint what it is without referencing those personalities that altered or defined it.
What is tradition to you? Is it something set in stone or is it something thrown together by the individuals involved?
BIO
Stillman Browning-Howe, the most recent graduate from the Hewitt Pottery, produces compelling work using the complexity of long wood-fired surfaces to highlight his simple, elegant forms. Stillman has been exploring these longer firings since 2021 when he used local clay to make the bricks to build his own wood-fired kiln. Alongside his partner and potter, Hannah Cupp, their energy and excitement is palpable as they build a pottery from scratch near Seagrove
https://stillmanbhpottery.com/
