When I was in college many moons ago, I took a ceramics class. I bought the giant brick of clay, and I made the obligatory pinch pot, followed by the slightly more difficult coil pot. I was pregnant with my first child, a daughter, so I lovingly painted my creations in pink, yellow, and purple. But I never took the leap to the potter's wheel, and I never got to take my sad little pots home. Because I dropped the class after spring break.
Fast forward 11 years, and I happen upon the amazing work of Joshua Flicker. An art teacher at Park City High School by day, his pieces have been featured at the Urban Arts Gallery, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and at galleries in Jackson Hole and Kentucky. As I admire his "industrial" ceramic work, I can't help but kick myself for dropping that class. Why weren't they teaching me this?!
Josh has been experimenting with, and excelling in, a variety of art forms for decades. The raw and gritty nature of his work calls me back to a blue-collar, hard working culture where men and women toil by the sweat of their brow, and carry home their lunch pails long after dark. It's real, and it's dirty in a beautiful way. If you have the chance to see it, you should definitely seek out Josh Flicker's ceramics.
Mandy: What kind of artist are you?
Josh: I know it can sometimes have a negative connotation, but I would say I am
a tinkerer. Many of my teachers from the past would not be happy to
hear this, but I often don't start off with a sketch of any kind. I
have a general idea of what it is that I want to create, but the idea
evolves as my artwork progresses.
I try a lot of different things and a
lot of different combinations of similar things. I often build lots of
little pieces and start assembling them almost like legos. I move
pieces around, trying them in different areas until they "fit."
Mandy: When did you first know you were interested in art?
Josh: I've
always enjoyed making art, but in high school I was on a very academic
track, and unfortunately ignored much of the arts until my senior year,
when I had a little more flexibility in my schedule. In college, I
really dove into the arts and tried to take classes in every type of
media I could.
Mandy: Who are your favorite artists?
Josh: I
think my favorite artists are always changing. Sometimes I will
stumble upon someone I never knew existed and they will totally change
my view of what art is or can be. Some of my favorite artists of the
past I have abandoned. Sometimes I really like one piece made by an
artist and really hate their other stuff. My current favorites are Kris Kuksi, Li Hongbo, Jim Koudelka, Ezra Caldwell (a bike builder), Steven Montgomery, Gaudi, and Tapies.
Mandy: Where do you find inspiration?
Josh: Google. I'm not kidding. Also, just in things I stumble upon day to day. Nature. Industrial/mechanical objects. Other artists.
Mandy: Who or what else influences you?
Josh: Everyone, everything. Also no one and nothing. Inspiration often just kind of burrows itself into
my mind without me really knowing. It also presents itself very slowly
or in small pieces. I can't attribute it to any one thing or one
person. It materializes from the combination of all the things that
surround me.
Mandy: What is your biggest struggle or obstacle as an artist?
Josh: I
don't think I have one specific struggle or obstacle. Just a bunch of
little ones that all pile together. They are also not always what I
would consider negative things; just things that take up my time and
energy. Like finances, kids, my wife being in school, teaching high school (my "real" job), biking, skiing, television, etc. etc. etc.
Mandy: Are the people in your life supportive of your art?
Josh: Fortunately,
all the people in my life have been very supportive of my art. However,
I am not living the stereotypical life of an artist; Someone who makes
art all day long and makes their money selling that art. If I really
dove in and all of a sudden had to start living the "starving artist"
lifestyle with all its romance and idealism, I'm not sure if that support
would still be there. I've never really had the guts to dive in to the
art world head-first like many of the artists that I admire. Maybe I
should change my answer to the previous question. Maybe that is my big
obstacle. Or maybe they also have real jobs on the side and I just
don't know about it.
Mandy: Do you like to collaborate?
Josh: I love getting input from other artists about my work, but I have rarely collaborated with others on a project.
Mandy: What are your goals as an artist?
Josh: To get an MFA. To make more money selling the artwork I create than teaching art to others. To keep making art.
Mandy: Are there any goals you've met so far?
Josh: No. I always change them or add on to them.
Mandy: If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do?
Josh: Everyone's
an artist. It's just not always visual. If I had to pick a new form
for my art, maybe it would come in the form of wandering the earth with
no real destination in mind. Just a chance to experience life in
whatever form it presents itself.
Mandy: Describe the technical process that goes into creating one of your pieces.
Josh: I
have a few different styles that take very different
approaches or techniques. For my more industrial looking items, the first
thing I do is look for items to make plaster molds from. Many of these
items are large nuts and bolts, pipes etc. I also use a lot of plastic
containers such as takeout boxes or rotisserie chicken containers,
coffee lids, pretty much anything. After the plaster molds are made I
press clay into them, let it stiffen and then stockpile a whole bunch of
little clay pieces that look like the originals. Next I just start
assembling all those pieces together.
I often have multiple projects
all being assembled at the same time. After I get a few pieces together,
I re-evaluate what I'm making and see what else I need. I make more
molds, hand-build pieces, throw parts on the potters wheel, then I start
adding them together all over again. It's like building with legos, but
if there is a piece I really need I can just build it.
Mandy: How has your process changed over time?
Josh: Time helps you to get a better relationship with your medium. You build
a connection with it and can start to anticipate how it will react with
more certainty. My process hasn't changed greatly over time, but I think
- I hope - it is always becoming more refined, more consistent, for
lack of better words, "better."
It's
also important to me that my work does not get stuck in time. It needs
to evolve. It needs to change. But hopefully, it changes slowly enough
that it can still be identified as my work.
Mandy: What themes do you pursue?
Josh: Industry, nature, mechanics, change (seasons, erosion, time, age), and growth.
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