David Hughes Pottery:
Sometime around 1998 I made a decision to get back into ceramics after a ten year hiatus. I loved ceramics in college (Tyler School of Art) and took as many elective classes as my schedule would allow, but I just didn’t see it as a viable career path. In addition to ceramics, I studied photography. But after moving to New York City, and working as a photographer, I began to feel the need to knead.
I began by renting shelf space at a small pottery studio in my Chelsea neighborhood. Soon after, I was a member of the faculty, and not long after, I became part owner. None of this was according to a cohesive plan, it just felt right and things just fell into place. After having a child in 2003, we moved from NYC to Katonah, NY, where I teach ceramics and make pottery full-time.
David Hughes work consists primarily of wheel thrown functional stoneware. For me, the fun is in the forming of the vessel. I find the tactile feeling of the clay in my hands as it passes through my fingers reassuring and relaxing. When I’m finished throwing a pot or have just removed it from the wheel, for me at least, it is at the pinnacle of it’s beauty. It feels alive and still full of limitless possibilities. As it goes from wet to dry, some of that vitality evaporates as well. The application of a glaze layer is an attempt to recapture some of that initial beauty.