Chris Chaney & Mary Chaney

Solo Show 2nd Floor Gallery

Water Street Studios will be featuring The Chaney Holiday Show - Pottery, Drawings, and Re-purposed rings by Chris and Mary Chaney.
Showing Opening Saturday, December 11th 6-10p at Water Street Studios 2nd Floor Gallery.
Refreshments: Wine and food at opening celebration
Show runs from December 10, 2010 thru December 12, 2010
Friday hours 5-9 p, Saturday hours 10a-10p, and Sunday 12-4p

Drawing is observation in practice. It is the opportunity to journey through a physical process relying on the unique connections humans share with their environment, materials, and subject matter. The constant challenge that natural objects provide as reference is fascinating. Skulls, in particular, are eerily beautiful as well as being a visual exploration. In essence, these fragile and static shells are milky textures, dark caverns, and traces of a former life. The choice to use tracing paper felt easy, as there exists a temporary sort of element in both object and material. The sheer and smooth texture of the paper speaks to similar qualities on the bones' surface. Although simple in composition, these drawings were created purposefully and with few materials in order to fully investigate the tactile terrain. The experience intended is one of careful consideration and appreciation for objects generally disregarded.
The rings are created from objects that have been been re-purposed - most began as buttons. The recycled element of these rings appeals to a conscious desire to reuse objects already in existence, and always proves well worth their searching. They are hand-selected for their vintage feel or the ability to make a bold accessory statement.

Mary Chaney
October 2010
_____________________________________________________________________________

I didn't know I wanted to become a potter when I was growing up. In fact it wasn't until 1998 that the thought even occurred to me, and it happened quite accidentally. Since that time, I have continued to work in clay, honing my skills and gaining valuable experience. During my last year of undergraduate studies, I focused on how the surrounding environment could be interpreted to inform the surface of the vessel. Being that I lived in DeKalb and traveled often to and from Chicago on back roads, I became very familiar with the land that framed my journeys. Open space abounded - punctuated sporadically with a rusty grain bin or corn crib. The lines created in space were that of right angles; the colors that of dried corn stalks, rusted metal, and snow covered fields. The shapes I created were reminiscent of derelict towers and rundown farmhouses. In response, I began to create vessels that blurred the line between function and sculpture.

After obtaining my BFA from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb in 2001, I settled in Chicago to concentrate on becoming an urban potter. Moving to a different environment helped reinforce my interest in how ceramic works can be influenced by the immediate surroundings. However, the open spaces have now been replaced by a confinement that city dwellers know all too well. The actuality of limited personal space has led me to explore forms that I (and hopefully others) can live with without taking up too much room. Furthermore, the work is meant to be used in a ritualistic sense. Ritualistic not in the way of ceremony, but as part of a routine or everyday meditation. I see my current pieces as a way for people to connect with the handmade on a personal level. It is important to me that the work allow the user to slow down and enjoy something as simple as a cup of tea.

Chris Chaney
October 2010
Artists Website: www.chicagopotter.net