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MS Clayworks

Eric Botbyl From formless clay to ceramic art

7/31/2023

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​“There is a softness and warmth about the ceramic vessel that carries with it every touch of the potter and the mark of the flame”. – Eric Botbyl.
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As I am getting to know Eric a little more, I am learning about a person that is in love with life itself. As he describes his fond memories of his wife’s pregnancies, to the swollen ripeness of an orange, just to compare it with a swelling seed, whether it is a human life or a seed about to bust open, I see the swelling roundness of a ball of clay which grew from the potters' wheel and opened into a hollow swelling object.
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Eric addressed not only the romantic part of working with clay but there is the practical side before the making. He refers to it as heavy lifting, grunting, cutting, wedging, and sweating. Then there is the stage in which the vessels that were made must become an object that represents some thoughts, in which the piece itself will hold the history of its making from formless to object, a vital element of his work. This is the time when Eric highlights and preserves the clay history of the object with texture, coloring, retexturing and finally glazing and firing.
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The hard labor of a craftsman and the pleasures and hardships are intertwined always walking side by side, but when Eric Botbyl presents his works of art there is no doubt that Eric has a passion for clay and life itself.
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During his presentation at the MSClayworks 2023 in Tupelo, the 2nd Clay Conference in Mississippi, he will use the language of form, line, texture, contour, surface, gesture, color, and touch to convey his message. Using the pottery wheel as a tool, he will form objects which, not by his invention, but by the inventions of potters throughout the ages inherited human anatomical names.
Potters talk about the body, the lip, the neck, the shoulder, the belly, and the foot, and often the bottom. The last one is often a term that can let potters erupt into laughter, depending on in which sentence it is used.
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Eric will use several techniques, to alter, build, and reconstruct wheel-thrown objects, while communicating his ideas to the pottery audience. ​
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David MacDonald at MSClayworks 2023 in Tupelo

7/27/2023

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​78-year-old David Macdonald lives and works in Syracuse, New York. Now known as an emeritus ceramic professor, his work extended beyond his college students as he teaches and exhibits his ceramic artwork around the country.

MacDonald received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) in 2011, after he had already retired (2008), a milestone after 38 years of teaching college students.  His exceptional talent, innovative techniques, and passion for creating and teaching live on.
David's love for pottery was ignited during his college years when he held a coffee mug that was made during a class that he needed as a pre-requisite for his undergraduate studies. The act of drinking coffee from his own clay mug became the pivotal moment in which a painting artist student turned into a future leading American Ceramic teacher and artist.
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The turmoil in the country surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy was tension-filled years for a young black student. It affected his early work, as it reflected the effects it had on his heart and mind. One good day, however, a kind lady’s words turned his whole career from anger to pride and once his career took off, Macdonald never looked back.
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Encouraged by his former instructors, Bob Stull and Joseph Gilliard, MacDonald’s legacy started building.  His extensive research in finding his heritage led him to study East- and South African art and cultural patterns which became symbols that he wrote on proverbial clay slates.  His cups, plates and bowls started carrying signs of the fragility of the human spirit on its surface.  Functional and wheel-sculpted vessels took on a vibrancy as his research took him deeper into studies of the ethnic groups south of Saharan Africa. The riches of patterning are found there abundantly on pottery decoration, textiles, body decoration, and architecture. 
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​MacDonald's work spans over the complete spectrum of ceramic forms of a utilitarian nature. He embraced his strengths and as time went by, the influences he had on his peers and students made him a strong leader in his field.
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The impact that his teaching mentors had on his life formed part of the building blocks of his career. One such incident was when Bob Stull visited his studio and saw the potential of an ebony tool that could be used for carving.
Another was a saying by Joseph Gilliard: “You can take this material that has no intrinsic value and turn it into something which is not only beautiful but also useful.”
These little golden nuggets stay with David to this day.
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His recently deceased wife was an enthusiastic quilter, a craft that brings his designs right back into the American culture, which David embraced with his ‘Quilt series”
There is a juxtaposition between elegant simplicity and intricate surface design which finds its way into a blend of traditional, yet contemporary aesthetics.
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During the MSClayworks conference, David Macdonald will share his lifelong passion for form, texture, and color, while he is making useful items from clay, a material that someone once said, “has in itself, no intrinsic value ...".
He mastered the intricacies of ancient pottery methods while simultaneously embracing modern styles, resulting in an exquisite fusion of old and new. His pottery pieces often showcased a harmonious balance, evoking a sense of elegance and sophistication.
We here in Tupelo will be honored with a master whose work has been collected far and wide over half a century.  David will once again become an instructor who continues to inspire his audience. 
MSClayworks 2023 is the 2nd clay conference in Mississippi.  ​

See more of the other ceramic artists who demonstrated at MSClayworks.
2023 David MacDonald | Stacey Hardy | Eric Botbyl 
2022 Danny Meisinger | Susan Thomas | Sam Clark 
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Danny Meisinger throwing clay | MSClayworks 2022

11/2/2022

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See more of the other ceramic artists who demonstrated at MSClayworks.
2023 David MacDonald | Stacey Hardy | Eric Botbyl 
2022 Danny Meisinger | Susan Thomas | Sam Clark 
Danny Meisinger from Kansas is known for throwing big on the pottery wheel, but he showed at MSClayworks 2022, the first Mississippi clay conference how easy it is for a master to recover when wheel throwing goes wrong. He was one of the demonstrators in the Auditorium of the Meridian Community College in October 2022.
He proved again why he is considered as one of the best wheel throwers when it comes to throwing big and throwing multiple mugs with different shapes while the bigger thrown pieces are drying for the next work.
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Sam Clark with Clay dragons | MSclayworks 2022

10/28/2022

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Sam Clark is a ceramic artist from Madison in Mississippi who draws what he wants to make with clay. He demonstrated at MSClayworks 2022 his extraordinary abilities with drawing and sculpting. Sam is one of the jewels of Mississippi and again demonstrated the deep roots of clay in Mississippi.
This video clip of Sam shows a part of his humor and amazing talent as an artist.
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See more of Sam Clark.
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Susan Thomas with color and clay | MSClayworks 2022

10/26/2022

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See more of Susan Thomas.
Susan Thomas is a ceramic artist from Florida.
This video clip shows how she worked with colored clay during the clay demonstrations of MSClayworks 2022 in the auditorium of the Meridian Community College.
Susan was one of three demonstrators for this 1st clay conference in the state of Mississippi. 
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Cutting wheel thrown balloon vessel | MSClayworks

10/25/2022

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See more about Danny Meisinger and Susan Thomas.
Danny Meisinger demonstrated how to throw a big bottle shape on the pottery wheel. Susan Thomas helped Danny to cut the wheel-thrown balloon vessel in half during the clay demonstration at the MSClayworks conference in Meridian Mississippi. It is always fun and a pleasure to look at life through the eyes of an artist. 
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Firing dragon with Danny and Sam | MSClayworks 2022

10/25/2022

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MSClayworks 2022, the first clay conference in Missississippi, had a stunning end when Danny Meisinger used his pottery flame thrower to light up the clay dragon made by Sam Clark. The clay demonstrations were in the Auditorium of the Meridian Community College on October 8.
See the video of the flame-breathing clay dragon.

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Lots of fun, and all is looking forward to MSClayworks 2023.
Where will that be? Stay focused ...
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Wheel throwing demonstration by Danny Meisinger

7/27/2022

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Danny Meisinger is a ceramic artist from Kansas, and the owner of Spinning Earth Pottery in Spring Hill. In this video, Danny demonstrates some of the techniques that he uses to throw big platters like the one he is holding.
Obviously, the pottery wheels must have enough power to allow throwing this big, and that is why Danny usually use a Brent C model.
He is one of the clay demonstrators at the 1st Mississippi clay conference that will be held this year in Meridian. This live clay event will be in the auditorium of the Meridian Community College on October 8, 2022.
Danny Meisinger shows some of the big pottery that he throws on the pottery wheel. These huge platters and bottles glazed and fired by Danny. MSClayworks 2022
Throwing big with Danny Meisinger
Here are more images of the wheel thrown artwork of this talented ceramic artist. It is only when you see him next to his work that you realize the size of the vessels, bowls, sculptures and other clay works.
To see the other clay artists who will be demonstrating at MSClayworks 2022, see our demonstrations page, and get the full picture at the home page.
Wheel pottery bowls, altered and glazed by potter Danny Meisinger from Kansas. MSClayworks 2022n the pottery wheel and altered by
Wheel thrown and altered

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    MSClayworks is the combined name for clay conferences in Mississippi. See our excellent clay demonstrations and other activities for ceramic artists.

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