Mike Jackson, Owner
Bob Briscoe
Mr. Briscoe does stoneware clay, ash glazes/functional pots. He has worked as a studio potter since 1967. All the pots that he produces have an intended purpose. He makes pots to hold liquids, serve food, and display flowers. Usefulness is an inseparable element in the aesthetic in his pottery. Mr. Briscoe studied with Garzio and interned with Jon Vandergrif in Zarah, Kansas and Lou and Al Wynee in Colorado Stpings, Colorado. Mr. Briscoe has very high praise for Angelo Garzio as a teacher and potter.
From the artist:
I avoid formal and elaborate composition and move towards a quiet and subtle simplicity in the pots that I make. The essence that I am seeking in this aesthetic is a stripped, almost brutal, rawness.
The forms which I use are spare, with large, simple areas, heavy textures, weighty bases, and substantial rims and attachments. I focus on the foot and the rim of a form as the defining elements. They are intentionally rough and crude to achieve this definition.
The techniques used in making these pots are again elementary. I throw all the pots on the wheel, then cut, paddle, and alter them into other forms. I use asymmetrical elements throughout to impart vitality and plasticity in the fired work.
I use ash glazes to integrate form and surface in my work. Slips and engobes beneath these ash glazes add depth, subtlety and nuance to complete the visual composition.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
“Functional Ceramics Invitational”, Alfred University, NY
“Robert Briscoe” - St. Benedict's College, St. Joseph, MN
“Confluence: The Mackenzie Influence”, Continental Clay Company, Minneapolis, MN
"Robert Briscoe/Matthew Metz", Lill Street Gallery, Chicago
“Clay National”, Penn State University
“Domesticware”, Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York
GALLERIES:
Lemieux Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Lill Street Gallery, Chicago, IL
Northern Clay Center Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
Red Star Studios, Kansas City, MO
Sarah Thomas Collection, Minneapolis, MN
SELECTED SHOWS:
The Smithsonian Craft Show
Coconut Grove Art Festival
The Philadelphia Craft Show
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair
Winter Park Festival of Art
Plaza Art Festival
Cherry Creek Art Festival