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"Right then I thought to myself; 'Oh, I get it, you can make something just for the purpose of the experience it gives you!'"
An interview with Jeff Wenzel
What drew you to abstraction as a mode of expression? When did you first start creating sculptural ceramics and how did that come about?
I grew up without any real art exposure and I don’t remember ever going to an art museum. The art in our house was for decoration: black velvet paintings and plaster figurines bought in Tijuana. When I was in college, I went to the ceramics department to make my girlfriend a coffee mug for her birthday. It was after hours and the ceramics instructor was there doing his own work, making these odd gourd-like forms with little handles on them. He was paddling them and standing them so that they would lean in just this certain way. I asked him what those things were for, and I still remember his answer word for word: “I would hope that they are inspiring.” Right then I thought to myself; “Oh, I get it, you can make something just for the purpose of the experience it gives you!” That was my little epiphany, which opened my eyes to modern and abstract art. It was like a switch flipped inside me.
I grew up without any real art exposure and I don’t remember ever going to an art museum. The art in our house was for decoration: black velvet paintings and plaster figurines bought in Tijuana. When I was in college, I went to the ceramics department to make my girlfriend a coffee mug for her birthday. It was after hours and the ceramics instructor was there doing his own work, making these odd gourd-like forms with little handles on them. He was paddling them and standing them so that they would lean in just this certain way. I asked him what those things were for, and I still remember his answer word for word: “I would hope that they are inspiring.” Right then I thought to myself; “Oh, I get it, you can make something just for the purpose of the experience it gives you!” That was my little epiphany, which opened my eyes to modern and abstract art. It was like a switch flipped inside me.
From that time on, I have been interested in the powerful experience that a painting or a sculpture can generate just by virtue of its non-literal/abstract visual properties.
Who were your earliest influences as an artist? Who have been your greatest mentors?
My first ceramic teacher, James Shrosbree, was a big influence on me. I actually copied a lot of his work early on. He had a very beautiful sensibility regarding how pictorial and sculptural forms work together, and he opened my eyes to seeing what wonderful things can come out of the relationships between forms. I was also fortunate to study with the ‘Godfather of Ceramics,’ Peter Voulkos. He was—and still is—a huge eye-opener for me. He had a great, non-verbal kind of genius, and he turned me on to how to take art to a whole other level. His mind had a direct connection to his gut; that helped me learn to draw from that place in my own work.
What are your greatest challenges as an artist?
[They are] to stay active with my work, and to keep the work alive, that it can continue to give me a novel experience of surprise, delight, and a sense of wonder.
Do you have specific tactics or advice you’ve followed to help you stay active artistically?
For me it helps to stay close to my work by having my studio right where I live. Having ongoing works around over time allows me see them and better, to get a clearer sense of where I’m going with a piece, and how I might take it further. Also, with a home studio I have more opportunity to be triggered into working which is usually the most productive work-time for me. I have found that it’s hard for me to turn it on and off when I come and go to a separate studio location.