Marc Hudson

I live among the high desert chaparral, azure blue skies and rough stone outcroppings in Northern New Mexico, from which place I derive much of my inspiration and passion to work in clay. I am self-taught and have been working with clay since 1970. I have developed a repertoire of finely crafted extruded and wheel thrown decorative pieces. I hope my work stirs you enough that you will want to look back at it often and contemplate its shape, texture, and color. Perhaps you will connect a memory to it, offer it as a gift or keep it for yourself, but think of it as a cornerstone of an emotion, a recollection or a feeling and let it move you.

I become an alchemist when I stand in front of my shelves of glaze ingredients or table of clay. I imagine myself as a member of a very long line of artists and craftsmen whose ceramic innovation dates back more than 12,000 years, as far back as the last big Ice Age.

Wood ash particularly appeals to me as a primary ingredient because it is a bit of a “wild card,” its effect somewhat unpredictable in a glaze. Ash likes to flow at high temperatures, yet its surface tension tries to make the glaze bead up — like a struggle between control and abandonment.

My usual approach to clay is to exercise considerable control while it is on the wheel or in the extruder, so it is refreshing to let my guard down and let the glaze act and react serendipitously. Each time I open the kiln, I am surprised, thrilled, occasionally mystified, but always my clay work is a centering, learning, and inquisitive experience.