John Dennison

My current work is both functional and sculptural. My functional work with the slash/circle wax resist designs is fired to cone 6 or 8 in an electric kiln making them safe for food preparation and serving. My sculptural works are also fired in oxidation kilns.My sculptural work often reflects my love of literature. Literary illusions, religious icons, and elements of pop culture often inform this work, as do my titles. Many of these elements also emerge in my masks. I have made masks from the very beginning. At one time, they evoked ideas of the primitive, of elements of the sea, or even the darkness of the human spirit. Today, many of them, as well as my sculptural boxes, touch on the same themes. With the addition of iconic imagery, they have become explorations of morality, race, music, modern media, and other topics. I have constantly experimented with the firing and decorating processes of these masks. First pit or raku fired, now, most are high fired. Many have dramatic, severe texturing. The masks may be finished with glazes, stains, inks, paints, or colored glass. Eventually, I tried applying these techniques on my wall plaques, totems, and currently, the Bowls Beyond Function serve as a canvas—a surface on which to explore color, texture, theme, and mood. These decorative works are distinguished by their dry, mottled, craggy surface, a result of multiple applications and firings of glazes, underglazes, oxides, and was resist. Each piece is original. I design, throw, glaze, fire, and finish each piece without other studio help. Just as my functional work provides an opportunity to explore surface, shape, and form, my sculptural work allows me to explore metaphor and theme.