About Mike Olsen Ceramics

Working with a range of functional and sculptural forms, I explore the soft and tactile nature of clay and how it can be transformed by touch, time, and fire into an object that is both beautiful to the eye and engaging to touch.  Each form captures the unique qualities of the material used and the process of making the forms is a dialogue between the maker and the material.

Some of the forms I make stand alone, expressing their own balance between line, volume, material, and process.  Other forms are displayed together in small groups.  These groupings may be static or dynamic, exploring ideas related to connection and belonging.  By working with volume, line, and the space between objects, these groupings also explore feelings of imbalance and separation, sometimes appearing on the verge of collapse.

The wide variety of colours and textures that are possible from the clay alone provide me with endless paths of exploration. The clays I work with vary from gritty to silky smooth and anywhere in between.  Some are dark and richly coloured, others are more of a blank canvas, awaiting a finish with a coloured surface treatment or beautiful glaze which I make in my small studio.

In conjunction with an exploration of raw materials and forms, I enjoy anticipating how a piece may be transformed from clay to ceramic by exposure to heat and fire.  Sometimes, a slow and gentle overnight smoking in sawdust is called for.  Many of my pieces are built to withstand the high heat of a large kiln fuelled by burning wood over a period of several days.  And then there are the pieces that require a controlled environment to bring out their best, for those pieces I may fire them in an electric kiln or, occasionally in a gas kiln.  Some pieces I glaze before firing and then others are left exposed to the fire and heat of the kiln, smoke, or ash to finish their surfaces.